


Prudentia: Turri Nocturnis

by LTK



Series: Arcana Prudentiae [1]
Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Cameos, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Flashbacks, Major Character Injury, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:35:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28908705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LTK/pseuds/LTK
Summary: A lanky Japanese 17-year old, happily going through the cycle of school,  extracurriculars, and living his life. 2 orphans who couldn't be more opposite from each other. All three transfer to Gekkoukan High School. But of course, not everything goes smoothly.Something about "The Potential", a hypothetical 25th hour at midnight, and the usual high schooler drama. Surely how bad could it get?
Series: Arcana Prudentiae [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2120163
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I guess I should welcome you here huh... gimme a minute to compose myself. *deep breath* Okay let's go.
> 
> Hello, and thanks for clicking on my what is probably a mess of a story. After graduating from undergrad in December 2019, I've spent a lot of time here browsing through the Persona Series fandom. Work-related stresses paired with COVID really did a number of my mental health, but AO3 was a nice escape from well, everything. After reading countless stories, as well as countless vivid dreams after playing the games during lockdown, I'm finally biting the bullet and writing.
> 
> Essentially, this will be a retelling of the modern Persona games (sorry Persona 1&2 fans, I'm just not confident in their respective stories yet), but with the addition of an original character, that would play into the plot of all 3 games. For the most part, the main plot will be close to the original game, but any extra story elements will be new. Hopefully you all enjoy whatever this mess will probably end up.

February 21, 2009

*school chimes ringing*

“Okay class, make sure you finish reading chapters 31 & 32 for Monday's review. Have a good weekend!”

“Stand! Attention! Bow!” The class representative commanded the class.

“ _Oh man, that lesson is going to be brutal to reteach later_ ” A tall black-haired boy thought as he cleared off his desk.

“Hey Nao-kun, you got plans this weekend?” A shorter brown-haired boy who sat behind him asked as he tapped his shoulder.

Naoya Nakano. Short-ish black hair, half-frame glasses, and 6 foot 1 inches of Japanese 17-year old male struggling through high school. Not athletic, unsure of his physical image, a hint of social anxiety, and romantically stuck at a point of not having enough courage to ask out his crush, he is the living epitome of many high school teenagers. 

However, that is where the commonalities between him and his fellow students end. A student with academic capabilities beyond his age, learning came natural to him, but that also meant he would be designated the go-to person for academic help, which he didn’t mind. In fact, that was how he met more people at school: through tutoring sessions. He may have been an academic genius, but that didn’t make him antisocial. He always tried to remain approachable by anyone, while keeping his reliable small friend group and hobbies to keep him busy during his downtime. 

“Nothing set in stone yet, definitely have to grab groceries on my way home though. Why do you ask Go-kun?”

“Just curious, that new baseball anime series that’s starting Sunday night, and I was wondering if you wanted to come over and watch with me and my brother.”

“I mean I wouldn’t be opposed to it, I just have to get all my homework done before then, but that shouldn’t be a problem. What ti-”

“Hey Nakano-kun?” A girl interrupted as she walked into the classroom. “Do you have a minute?” 

“Hello Shimizu-senpai. How can I help you?”

“Hey student council pres, what brings you to these ends?” added Go-kun almost in a snarky tone.

“Hi Hasegawa-kun, sorry for interrupting your conversation, but the principal wants to see Nakano-kun in his office as soon as he can. I would hurry up though, he seemed like he was rushing to find you too” She spoke towards you.

“Thanks Shimizu-senpai, I’ll head over right away. Have a good weekend!” He answered with his classic subtle smile. 

“I wonder what the principal wants with you? You haven’t done anything shady have you?” Go-kun asked with a sarcastic tone.

“Hmm, maybe it was for that one thing last week…” Naoya says to himself out loud, deadpan, seeing if he could get a reaction out of Go-kun. As soon as he saw him take the bait, he broke out in laughter as he grabbed his bag. “Haha, just kidding. You know me, the uncontrollable delinquent. Must have done something terrible, right?” he responded as he nudged his friend Go-kun on the shoulder and left the classroom.

With the end of the day and the school week, all of the students are either getting ready to leave for the weekend break, or discussing their plans with their friends. However, as he slowly walked up the couple of flights of stairs to the principal's office, you notice that even the student council has left for the week. The eerily quiet halls of the school, paired with the fear of something happening in your meeting with the principal, you can’t help but feel nervous as you see the Principal’s Office sign on the wall ahead.

* * *

*knock knock*

“Yes, come in” a gruff voice spoke from within the office.

“Hello Principal Kabakura, you wished to speak to me?”

“Indeed lad, come and have a seat.”

“ _Well I’m definitely not in trouble. From what I’ve seen at Student council meetings when he was upset, he’s definitely in a different mood from then._ ” Naoya thought.

Principal Shuuichi Kabakura, the “big dog” of the school, as he likes to call himself. Standing at only 5 foot 5 inches, students will oftentimes try to take advantage of his short stature for their own egos. Oh the naive 1st years, thinking he’s just a pushover of an authoritative figure. Oh how wrong they were. He’s been here since when Naoya’s father was enrolled, he’s seen his fair share of students both good and bad, and his way of dealing with everyone hasn’t changed: his voice. He is a master of portraying his thoughts and emotions through his speaking skills. Whenever he is proud or happy, his tone will say so, and when he is upset, he will make up for his stature with the volume of his voice. Being a part of the student council, Naoya has seen both firsthand. Having said that, this was the first time that he has been completely unable to tell what he was feeling when he engaged in the conversation. 

“Let me ask this first, how have you enjoyed your two years here so far?” The principal asked him, returning that uneasy feeling.

“Um, well nothing to complain about, actually enjoying my time here” Naoya responded, slightly confused. “I mean I have my group of friends I hang out with, the usual library study group, and some underclassmen that I tutor after school in the library. And all of the teachers seem to be flexible with adjusting the coursework around my marksman competitions, so overall I’ve had a great time here. What is bringing this up all of the sudden, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Well..” Principle Kabakura hesitated before continuing “truth be told, your performances at your marksman competitions, combined with your academic record have attracted interest from schools around the country with actual school-sponsored shooting teams.”

“ _Wait, you mean other high schools are actually looking at my marksmanship results from the last couple of years?_ ” Naoya thought dumbfounded as he heard all of this information being thrown at him.

“And according to our records, I know that keeping with tuition hasn’t been the easiest of tasks for your family-”

“Wait Principle Kabakura!” Naoya interrupted before his brain realized that he had done so. “Apologies for the sudden outburst, but if paying tuition has been an issue, I will talk with my father and we’ll figure someth-”

“Calm down Nakano-kun, it’s nothing like that.” Principle Kabakura waved, trying to calm down the conversation. “I am giving you an opportunity to further your skill both academically and with your competition precision shooting. You’ve received a scholarship opportunity from a school in Tatsumi Port Island: Gekkoukan High School.”

“A scholarship? Like tuition and room and board covered by the school?” Naoya asked, part hopeful and part confused.

“Indeed my boy. Fully covered financially, and an academically supported shooting team. Well, technically, a traditional archery team that is looking to expand to all sharpshooting discipline, your air rifle discipline includes that expansion.” Principle Kabakura told him with a smile. “I personally think this would be the best course of action for you. Academically, they are the best-ranked academy in the prefecture, and I can personally vouch for the faculty there. They are the best of the best at what they do, plus the financial assistance would be a load off of both you and your father.”

“B- but, is that the only option I have? How long do I have to consider this massive offer?” Naoya asked almost in a panicked state.

“Relax Nakano-kun. You have until a week after finals this term to respond. Take your time, talk with your father, and let me know whenever you come to a decision. With your academic skill, it shouldn’t be an issue, but keep up with your studies while you’re here and take your time; it’s a big decision in your life you have in front of you.”

“W-well thank you sir, I will go and do that” Naoya told the principal before he shakedly left the office.

* * *

Right as Naoya slid the door closed to the principal's office, he felt a pair of hands clasp against his shoulders, making him jump from the sudden grasp.

“Heeeey Nakano-kun, how’s it going?” He heard from behind him.

“UWAH!” he yelped as he quickly turned around, seeing a head of dark blue hair hair with a small smirk on her face. 

“Nakano-kun, are you alright?” Haoya heard Principal Kabakura ask through his office door.

“A- all good sir, no need to worry about me!” he responded, as he glared towards the culprit. “Tae-senpai, why do you always do that?!” In a whisper.

“I mean come on, I’ve been doing that to you since your first year. Have you not gotten used to it yet? Makes me think I’m not doing enough.” She says with a clearly fake frown, before giggling softly to herself.

“Come on Tae-senpai, do you have to do it every time we see each other?” he asked almost desperately, starting to walk towards the main stairwell.

“Well, where would be the fun in not doing it every time I see my favorite tutoring partner” she responded, the smirk returning to her face once again as she matched his walking pace.

Tae-senpai. We initially met in the library during Naoya's first year when he went in for a little extra help with his lab sciences. She happened to be the only tutor available that day, and she definitely exuded a scary vibe, but the more he went to get help, the more he learned that she just liked to screw around to break any tension that would arise. Eventually, he also became a library tutor alongside her, with him focusing on mathematics and psychology, and her still teaching the lab sciences. Of course, still screwing with him at every opportunity that arose.

“Anyways” she broke Naoya out of his flashback moment by poking his forehead “you look like you’re going through like 13 different emotions at once. What, something good happen?” She asks leaving forward, looking up at him and stopping him in his tracks.

“I- I guess you could say that.” He said blushing and trying to avoid her brown eyes. “Nothing set in stone yet, but next year might be a different story. I got a scholarship.”

“Haha, that means my tutoring finally paid off for ya, huh?” She cheerfully said as she poked his forehead again. “Well, for what it’s worth, I’m proud of you. You’re gonna do great! But you better not avoid the tutoring sessions until finals are over. Can’t do everything by myself.” She said in a sing-songy tone as she started walking for the front entrance. “See you next week, mister big time!”

“..Thanks, Tae-senpai…” Naoya quietly said just as she rounds the corner to the main stairs, unsure of how to react to what had just happened.

* * *

As soon as Naoya stepped foot through the front door, the realization of being offered a scholarship to do what he was good at, and continue to go to school without adding more of a burden on his single father, took its full effect. Being able to help with his father at any point in life after his mother died giving birth to me has been and always will be one of the most important things in his life. He always worked hard at the police department to help Naoya get a good education, and Naoya always did whatever he could to make his life outside of work easier.

With everything that had happened and was going on in his brain, the walk over to the train station was over in a flash. Before he realized, Naoya was standing at the entrance gate to the Chuo Line at Shinjuku Station. Of course, after school meant commuters and salarymen, so before he got in the way more than he already was, he pulled out his transit IC card and walked through the turnstiles, heading up to the platform. One extremely cramped train ride later, he arrived at Ogikubo Station. Walking through the exit turnstiles and the busy streets from the station, he made it to his apartment, having completely forgotten the groceries he was supposed to buy. 

“Hello? I’m home!” Naoya shouted into his apartment.

“Hiya son. You get held up at tutoring again?” he heard his father ask him from his office.

“Umm, not exactly.” He said, lining up his shoes neatly by the step. As he walked up to his father’s office door, he saw him sorting through boxes of files. “But I have news, really good news actually.” 

“Well, don’t keep your old man waiting!” He laughs as he kicks the wheeled stool over to Naoya’s direction. 

“So, you know how we always make do financially?” Naoya started the conversation.

“I’m going to stop you right there!” He heard his father tell him sternly with the appropriate hand gesture towards him. “What did I tell you about worrying about our money situation? I thought I told you to not worry about it and enjoy the knowledge you gain at school.”

“And I am!” Naoya answered a little bit too quickly, almost panicked thinking that he angered his father. “I guess there isn’t any point in avoiding the point anymore. I got a scholarship offer to a school in Tatsumi Port Island. All expenses paid, and I get to shoot as part of the school marksman club.”

“Really..” Naoya saw him ponder.

“...”

“...Dad?” He asked nervously as he saw him just hunched over his desk with his fingers intertwined like Gendo Ikari for a moment too long. Suddenly, Naoya saw him aggressively push back his chair into the stack of boxes behind him, and slowly turned towards him.

“Ummm, so I take it you’re not happy with that?” While he’s fearing if he is going to explode at him or not, he lunges at him, but not with the reaction he expected. 

All of the sudden, Naoya felt him bear hug him as tight as he had ever felt him give him, gently sobbing in his shoulder. 

“You do not know how proud I am of you. And you know that she would be too. Your achievements are finally being recognized!” He said, still latching to Naoya. “Congratulations, but..” He felt him push off and look directly into his eyes “I want you to think about this offer seriously. I don’t want you to worry about money, or what I think. Of course, I will help you make a final decision, but ultimately, this is your life. I will honor your decision, no matter what.”

“Okay, I will do that. I’ll start doing more research tomorrow, since it’s the weekend now.”

“Good. Now, I know you’re excited, but did you remember to get groceries on your way home?”

“... OH CRAP!” Naoya shouted, a little too loud, giving him the answer and making him wince.

“Well, I guess you did rush home.” He chuckles as he pushes me towards the office door. “Oh well, I’m in a celebratory mood. Let’s go to that ramen shop by the station to celebrate. Come on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, you survived to the end of the start of this fever dream of a story. I'm sure the writing and/or the character conversations will iron out as I write more, and get used to this type of story writing. Having said that, feedback would be greatly appreciated. Ultimately, I'll be writing whenever I have time, and when I'm inspired to write more; hopefully going back to school and being in an English composition class will keep me motivated to type.
> 
> As for the story right now, I am still unsure of how long I want these chapters to be. I'm assuming that because this was just to set-up the actual story, it should be longer than this one.
> 
> If you decide to not follow this further, just want to say thanks for giving it a try. It means a lot that you just clicked on to give my story a go. 
> 
> If you're still sticking around, thanks to you too. Hopefully I can write something that you will enjoy. I'll try and just type out as much as I can in my free time so I can have some backed up for future updates.
> 
> Should things go according to plan, I'll see you all next Saturday.
> 
> -LTK


	2. Two Sides of the Same Coin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two transfer students arrive in Iwatodai to start their academic year at Gekkoukan. One moves in smoothly, the other experiences something like no other.

April 6th 2009

“Iwatodai, Iwatodai. Thank you for riding the monorail.”

With the nearby Gekkoukan Academy starting its academic year the next day, many students either starting or transferring in were making the trip to Iwatodai, moving into their respective dormitories. Among these students, an auburn-haired girl followed the crowd outside of the turnstiles, looking at a flyer showing her the directions to her assigned dorm.

Following the directions on the flyer led her past all of the stores in the strip mall, walking among the people and the multiple smells of the food stalls and restaurants. “ _I need to remember to come back here for dinner tonight, there’s so many food places to go to._ ” She thought as she continued towards the dorm building. 

A few minutes of walking later, she approached a brown four-story building in among the others with a small set of stairs and large double doors. “ _Supposedly, this is where I need to go. I guess I should just walk up to it?_ ” As she was thinking of what to do next, the doors opened up to a taller girl with flowing red hair, wearing a black jacket and white pants, holding the doors open.

“Would you happen to be Shiomi-san?” She asked politely.

“Yes, I am Kotone Shiomi. I believe I was assigned to this dormitory.” Kotone responded.

“That is correct, albeit temporarily until the school finalizes your living accommodations. We have been expecting you. Welcome to the Iwatodai Dormitory. I am Mitsuru Kirijo, a 3rd year who lives in this dorm.” Mitsuru explained as she continued to hold the doors open for Kotone. 

As the two entered the dorm, Kotone took in just how big and well-furnished this dorm was. In fact, the best way she could describe it was as a hotel. The common area had a front check-in desk like area with workspace behind the counter, a sitting area with two large couches and armchairs, a partitioned-off dining area for over eight people, a fully equipped kitchen, and a large central staircase. As the two headed up the stairs to Kotone’s assigned room, she noticed the floors were carpeted everywhere, the rooms laid out like in a hotel, a small seating area for each floor, as well as vending machines in the floor common areas. Finally, the two made it up to the third floor, where they went to the last room on the right hand side.

“Well, this will be your room for the immediate future. Feel free to get settled in. We are waiting for one more student to arrive. Then, we can go over the dormitory rules and regulations, as well as meet the rest of the students housed here. Any immediate questions?” Mitsuru asked Kotone at her door.

“None at the moment. If I think of any, I’ll let you know. Thank you Mitsuru-senpai.” She answered with a smile and a bow.

“Well, if you think of any, I will be in my room down the hall.” Mitsuru closes, shutting Konote’s door behind her as she headed back to her room.

* * *

“Thank you for riding the monorail. We deeply apologise for the delays caused on the line this evening. We will soon be arriving at Iwatodai, Iwatodai. The doors on the right side will open.”

Above the buildings of Tatsumi Port Island and Iwatodai, a lone monorail glided along its rail through the darkness of the night. With the fatal incident earlier in the afternoon, all trains in the area were delayed, causing the later trains to be busier than usual. 

Among the passengers stuck on later trains, there was one student on their way to their dorm. Towards the middle of the train, sat a student, this one with unkempt dark blue hair, listening to music on his silver headphones with a flyer in his hand of directions to the dorm he was assigned to. 

Two minutes before midnight, the monorail arrived at Iwatodai Station, with everyone disembarking who wished to do so. Walking through the turnstiles, a faint radio could be heard from one of the cars by the taxi pools. “Thank you for tuning in to this radio broadcast. At the tone, it will be midnight. Thank you for joining us on today’s broadcast. **_Beep. Beep. Beep. …_ **”

The final tone never rang. Instead, the clear night sky and its moon took a drastic turn, with the sky turning shades of black and dark green as well as the moon turning a bright green and seemingly growing in size. Alongside the new environment, the numerous people that disembarked the monorail alongside the boy all turned into standing coffins, and every and all electronic devices shut off, his mp3 player included. Even with this new environment, the boy was not fazed, and continued towards his assigned dormitory.

Walking to his designated dormitory, he too had to walk past the strip mall filled with stores and stalls. But this time, instead of the sounds of people and the smells of different dishes being cooked, he walked in an eerie darkness. After a few minutes, he too arrived at the brown four-story building, but with no person to greet him, or so he thought. Opening the doors to the building, he saw the same wide open and well furnished common area, as well as the welcome desk. Unlike Kotone earlier in the day, he found a red guest registrar, as well as a mysterious boy in a black and white striped set of pajama-like clothes. 

“You’re late.” The mysterious boy addressed the blue-haired boy from behind the counter, his head barely clearing the height of said counter.

With a snap, the boy suddenly appeared in front of the counter, in front of the blue-headed boy. “Now, if you want to proceed, please sign your name there.” With a wave of the hand, the red guest book opened to the front page, showing a contract of sorts. “Don’t worry, all it says is that you’ll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff.”

To the normal person, they would be losing their minds. With people turning into coffins, a weird child with telekinetic and teleportation powers acting as a check-in clerk for a school dormitory, nothing is what would be considered normal. However, this blue-haired boy-who had just signed the contract-was not fazed in the slightest.

“No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end. You can’t plug your ears and cover your eyes.” The small boy said ominously as he took the contract, disappearing into nothingness. “And so it begins..” With that, the boy slowly vanished away, leaving the blue-haired boy along in the green-tinted darkness of the dormitory common area.

“Who’s there?!” A girl in a pink sweater and red armband ran down the stairs, stopping and making eye contact. Visibly nervous, her hand snapped to a gun holster on her thigh, undoing the strap.

“Wait, Takeba!” A stern female voice commanded from up the staircase, slowly walking down the stairs and towards the boy. As the scene stood at a standstill, the lights and all electronics turned back on, the music resuming in the boy’s headphones.

“I didn’t think you’d arrive so late. We’ve been expecting you since late afternoon. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, one of the students who live in this dorm”

“..Who’s he?” Takeba apprehensively.

“He’s a transfer student. It was a last minute decision to put him here temporarily. Eventually he’ll be moved into the boys’ dorm.” Mitsuru clarified. “This is Yukari Takeba, a 2nd year like yourself.” She addressed Yukari, still rooted to the stop by the foot of the stairs.

“Hi. I’m Makoto Yuuki. Nice to meet you.” The blue-haired boy introduced himself.

“...U-uh yeah.. Nice to meet you too...” Yukari acknowledged.

“Um, it might not be my place to ask, but why do you both have guns?” Makoto asked slightly curiously.

“Huh? Um well, it’s sorta like a hobby… Well, not a hobby, but..” Yukari tried to explain before being interrupted by Mitsuru’s own explanation. “You know how it is these days… It’s for self-defense, to scare off any drunkards, you know? It’s not real, of course.”

“This is the right dorm right?” Makoto thought out loud, hoping that he hadn’t walked into the girls’ dormitory by accident.

“Correct, unlike many dorms, this one is co-ed. I would explain further, but it is very late. Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway on the right. Your things should already be there. I will take my leave. Remember, classes start tomorrow. Goodnight Yuuki. Takeba, can you show him to his room?” Mitsuru asked Yukari, who had at this point relaxed a bit.

“S-sure thing Mitsuru-senpai. Follow me Makoto-kun.” 

* * *

Yukari awoke the next morning, slightly groggy from the events that had occurred during the night before. Regardless, everyone's lives would move on, including theirs, so she quickly got dressed to begin her 2nd year at Gekkoukan. Before she could leave however, Yukari had to round up the two new students to take them to the campus. 

Starting with the new tenant on her floor, Yukari walked down to the end of the hall to Kotone’s room, hoping that she was awake and ready to go.

*knock knock* Hey Kotone-chan? Are you ready to go?” Yukari asked into the room.

“Gimme a minute.” She heard from inside the room, before seeing Kotone open the door with her school bag, locking her door behind her. 

“ _One down, one more to go._ ” Yukari thought to herself. “Okay, we just have to get Makoto-kun from downstairs.” She told Kotone as they both headed down the stairs.

“Ooo Yukari, going after the transfer student already?” Kotone teased.

“N-n-no way!” Yukari almost yelled back, heavily blushing. “He showed up really late last night, plus Mitsuru-senpai told me to show you two around the campus since we’re all in the same grade.”

“Relax, Yukari. I’m just winding you up.” Kotone laughed as she saw the door at the end of the hall open.

“You know, you two are really loud. It’s still early morning.” Makoto walked over to the two, looking groggy and half-asleep.

“S-sorry Makoto-kun.” Yukari apologized, glaring at Kotone before easing up a bit. Kotone-chan, this is Makoto, the other transfer student in this dorm. Makoto-kun, this is Yukari” She introduced the two. 

“Mornin’” Makoto said plainly.

“Hiya!” Kotone responded, with too much energy for Makoto to handle, making him slightly twitch. “Ready to go to school?”

Instead of leaving right away, there seemed to be some weird tension growing between the two transfer students. Part confusion, part curiosity; the eye contact between the two remained for a good several seconds before Yukari broke them out of the trance.

“Um, so are you both ready to go…?” Yukari asked tentatively.

“Y-yeah, sorry.” Makoto and Kotone replied at the same time.

As the trio made their way towards the monorail station, not one thing was out of place. No more coffins standing in the streets. No more green hue tinting the sky. And no more electronics shutting off. People continued their life like nothing had happened the night before. 

After boarding the monorail with other Gekkoukan students, the train glided across the ocean landscape of Iwatodai on its way to the school campus.

“Alright!” Yukari announced, turning to face the two new students in the front courtyard of the high school. “Welcome to Gekkoukan High school. Hope you like it. You should be good to go. Once you put your shoes in the lockers, I would go and meet your homeroom teacher before the assembly. Good luck!” She finished as she walked on ahead, leaving the two transfers on their own.

“Welp, here goes nothing.” Kotone said aloud. “Let’s go Makoto-kun.”

“Yeah. Good luck Kotone-chan” Makoto replied as the two walked through the front doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't really know what the word count per chapter should be or where I want it to be at. The story should start to pick up, now that the set-up plot dump is pretty much over, but I still have to reintroduce our boy Nakano-kun in the next chapter.
> 
> Also, depending on my coursework load that I have every week, I may switch to 2 updates a week, but that will depend on when I have enough written. We'll call it a teething period for the first few chapters.
> 
> Should everything go smoothly, see y'all next Saturday!  
> -LTK


	3. New School, New School Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naoya starts his academic and extracurricular life at Gekkoukan High School. Some students aren't happy with a new transfer invading their life in school. Some don't mind him. Some seem intrigued by him.

April 7th 2009

Gekkoukan High School. The epitome of a college prep school. Prim and proper students everywhere in their immaculate school uniforms. Walls, floors and windows all spic and span everywhere, decor included. Unlike at Naoya’s old school, the notice and announcement board had postings and papers neatly pinned with actual thumb tacks instead of sellotape.

All of the new experiences and sensations aside, Naoya knew that the school day must go on, so he shook out his thoughts and proceeded with the “checklist” he was given. “ _Okay, according to this print-out, I have to check in with a Ms. Ounishi in the faculty office. Apparently she is my homeroom teacher for class 3-D_ ” He talked internally as he walked out of the gymnasium, trying to find the faculty office. 

As Naoya wandered the hallways following the directions written on the print-out he had in hand, he finally reached a sign on the wall that said “Faculty Office & Lounge”. 

“Well, I guess it’s time to start. No going back now.” He said to himself quietly, as he opened the door and saw a few of the teachers preparing for the day.

“Um, excuse me, I’m looking for a Ms. Ounishi?” Naoya asked quietly.

“Yes?” He heard as he saw a teacher with red glasses and brown hair stand up. “Are you Nakano-kun, the transfer student?”

“Yes, that would be me.” He said, as he walked up to her desk, bowin. “Good morning, my name is Naoya Nakano, nice to meet you.”

“Ah, lovely to meet you.” She says with her own little bow. “I’m Ms. Ounishi, the sciences teacher, and the homeroom teacher for class 3-D. Let me just skim through your file again real quick” while opening a manila folder on her desk, reading his record out loud. “Top 3 academically at Tokyo Metropolitan Shinjuku High School, after school tutoring sessions, regional marksman competition winner, it’s a very nice looking CV you have here Nakano-kun.” with a nod in your direction.

As Ms. Ounishi read his CV, she gathered the attention of the other faculty members, each with their own reaction towards his accomplishments.

“W- well thank you very much” Naoya replied, with a small blush creeping up.

“Haha, well nice to see that all of these achievements haven’t gone to your head.” As she gathered up her class materials, she gestured towards the door “We have the entry assembly coming up, so we’ll do the introductions afterwards. Follow me.” 

On the way out of the office, Naoya noticed that other students were meeting with their homeroom teachers before the morning assembly. Specifically, he noticed that two transfer students were walking towards the office, with the girl pointing towards the sign above Naoya’s head. 

“You two coming in?” Naoya asked the two, holding the door open.

“Oh, thank you senpai.” Kotone responded with a bow, ushering Makoto into the office with her following behind.

* * *

“And with that, Welcome to Gekkoukan High School. I hope you all have a productive academic year ahead. You are now all dismissed. Please go to your classrooms.” the Principal spoke at the podium in the gymnasium, concluding the entrance assembly.

“Stand! Bow!” Someone commanded from the front of the gym.

At that moment, waves upon waves of students dressed in the black and white uniform of Gekkoukan High stood up, bowing at the same time. Ever since walking through the doors first thing in the morning in the new black and white uniform, the buzz and fear of the new school term starting in the air was impossible to miss.

As Naoya walked towards the main hall on his way to his classroom, he overheard a conversation between two girls behind him that pulled him out of his thoughts. 

“Hey are you going to the club meeting today Yukari?”

“I think we have to, I remember being told that it’s mandatory. It seems like something is happening this year, hopefully it’s not another budget cut.” 

“What more can they take from a club like Archery club? Pretty much all of our gear is second-hand already, I just hope we even have a club to go to this year”

“Jeez, don’t be so dark. The fact that we even have a meeting today should mean we’ll have a club again this year. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”

“ _Hmm, the archery club. Sounds similar to what I’m here for. I wonder if that is what Principal Kabakura meant when he said the club would be expanding..._ ” Naoya again resumed his internal dialogue as he walked through the corridor towards his classroom.

* * *

“Okay everyone, welcome to class 3-D.” Ms. Ounishi announced as she walked through the classroom door. “I’m your homeroom teacher, Ms. Ounishi. You all will be in my care for the rest of the academic year.” She spoke in a friendly tone while writing her name on the chalkboard. As she finished writing, she pointed in my direction and spoke “I’m sure many of you noticed during the assembly, we also have a new transfer student with us. Please introduce yourself.”

“Hello everyone, my name is Naoya Nakano. I will be in your care for the next year” Naoya said with a bow. As he brought his head up, he could feel all of the eyes looking at him, probably judging him. But one set stood out, partially covered in flowing red hair, and not wearing the standard school uniform, which led to a little too much eye contact. “ _Hmm, I wonder why she isn’t wearing the uniform top? She’s probably important. Reminder to stay on her good side_.” Naoya thought.

“Okay Nakano-kun, you can sit in that open desk next to Kirijo-san over there in the middle.” Ms. Ounishi pointed out. Immediately after, he noticed that a lot of the guys in the room looked at me with jealous eyes, while the girls gave off sympathetic vibes, which really confused me, but he wasn’t going to let a new school environment get his mood down. “ _Of course being the transfer student at a new school, you were bound to hear gossip about you. Don’t let it get to your head._ ” His internal dialogue kept him on track as his first day started. But that would only last for so long; today, it worked until the lunch break.

As soon as the bell rang for lunch break, Naoya could immediately feel the same tension he felt from the beginning of the day creep up again. Except this time, he could hear the whispers behind him very clearly. Among the multiple people whispering, he could make out a couple specifics like “oh look at him, getting all up and close with Kirijo” and “of course the transfer student gets the buddy buddy treatment” with other general conversations following the same line of conversation. 

“ _Lunch should be a free period, I think it’s probably better if I just get out of here._ ” Naoya said internally as he stood up, grabbing my belongings and walking up to the teacher’s podium. “Ms. Ounishi? Who would I talk to about after school clubs?” Naoya asked, hoping to get out of the classroom quickly.

“Well that depends on the club. Which one in particular are you referring to?” She answers in a friendly tone, the seemingly only friendly voice in the room.

“Well, I think it’s the archery club, or whatever it is called now”

“Ah, you want Mr. Ichinoseki, the fine arts teacher. As for the practice area, I think they have their range in the back of the school by the track. If he isn’t in the faculty office now, I would check there after school.”

“Perfect, thanks Ms. Ounishi.” Naoya finished the conversation with a small bow as he left the room.

* * *

With his bento lunch in hand, Naoya roamed around towards the courtyard of the campus, looking for a quiet place to eat and get away from people that may be judging me. As he walked out of the door out into the warm spring air gently blowing through the courtyard, he sighed as he seemed to have walked right into a group of gossipers. 

Walking through the doors on the other side of the courtyard, he saw who he assumed was a student, again not in the standard school uniform top, but in a red sweater vest and gloves, and followed by that group of gossipers, who could only be assumed as borderline obsessed underclassmen following him about 5 feet behind. “ _He must be popular. But another person without the standard uniform jacket on. Guess this school has some lax dress code rules. Not so prim and proper I guess._ ” Naoya thought to himself as he headed towards a clearing with a tree and some benches. 

All of the sudden he heard that gaggle of fangirls scream, making Naoya visibly flinch. “KYAAAAH! SANADA-SENPAIIIIII!”

Naoya looked over to the general group, slightly mortified, but one small detail did stand out. As he looked over, he noticed this Sanada-senpai, “ _or I guess in my case just Sanada-kun_ ”, rolled his eyes and then shook his head as they made momentary eye contact. 

“ _Okay note to self, being popular, not what TV makes it look like. Good to know_.” He thought as he finally passed the group, sitting down at the stone bench surrounding the tree. 

“ _Finally, peace and quiet_.” Naoya relaxed as he opened his bento he had packed the night before, praying over it: Teriyaki Pork and Carrot Rolls over white rice. “Thank you for the meal.” Naoya prayed quietly, tucking into the meal.

About halfway into his bento box, Naoya heard soft footsteps pattering towards his direction, thinking “ _man, I was getting used to the peace and quiet_ ”, but then immediately followed by a soft voice. “Ah sorry I didn’t know there was someone here.”

“Oh don’t worry about it. There’s plenty of space.” Naoya responded with a smile to the new person.

“O- okay, well then don’t mind if I do.” she said as she sat down on the bench next to his. 

A teal-headed student sat down on the stone bench next to mine, unwrapping her bento. As she took off the lid to her bento box, he was not expecting the peace and now quiet courtyard to take a turn for the worst. Catching the breeze blowing through, Naoya could pick up wafts of what could only be described as “death on a plate” in the breeze.

“ _How could someone make something so vile?! I don’t want to be rude, but I gotta leave if I want to keep my appetite…_ ” Naoya mentally panicked at the situation he found himself in. “ _Quick come up with something brain, come on. Maybe I can ask a question that can get me to leave._ ”

“U-um excuse me.” Naoya nervously began. “I have literature after lunch, but I didn’t bring enough notebooks to take notes in. Do you know if I can get it at the store by the entrance?”

“Y-you could try there. They might have some because it’s the first day.” She replied quietly.

“Perfect, I’ll go and try it. Thank you.” He gave the same small bow again and packed whatever was left of his bento. “Excuse me.” With that, he quickly headed towards the doors. 

“ _I hope that worked. I should probably say sorry to her if I ever spend time with her again._ ”

* * *

*school chimes ringing*

“Okay class, it might be only the first day, but don’t forget your homework for tomorrow. It’s just a one-sided worksheet, so I’m expecting everyone to finish it, understood?” Mr. Ichinoseki finished the class, packing his binders into his briefcase.

As Naoya walked up to the front desk, he noticed Naoya before he could speak to him. “Ah hello, did you have a question about the lecture?”

“No no Mr. Ichinoseki. I’m Naoya Nakano, the student here on the precision shooting scholarship.” He introduced himself with a small bow.

“Oh gotcha gotcha. I’ve called a club meeting today so you can see the range and meet the members, is that okay?” He asked him as the two headed for the classroom door.

“Not a problem at all.” Naoya continued the conversation. “I know it’s only the first day but should I have brought my equipment? I’ve been told that Officer Kurosawa at Pelonia Mall would help the school set up a secure rifle locker. I would feel a lot more comfortable if I could leave my gear in a secured location.”

“I think you mean _Paulownia_ Mall but yes, that is correct.” Mr. Ichinoseki stated. “Assuming you don’t have your gear here, do you want to go back to the dorm and bring it here? Just for today’s meeting, we can make it an informal demo session doubled as an icebreaker. Once you get a locker set up here, we can schedule your practices.”

“That sounds great. I’ll quickly run home and meet everyone at the range.”

“Well, don’t keep me waiting now.” he chuckled as he patted Naoya’s shoulder, signalling him to go.

“ _Now, how do I go about explaining to the club that he will be joining us this year?_ ” He pondered to himself as he headed to the range area, briefcase in hand.

* * *

*Meanwhile in class 2-F…*

“S’up, dude? How’s it goin’?” A boy in a cap asked in the general direction of Makoto.

“Um, are you talking to me?” Makoto asked as he looked around, seeing if that question was meant for someone else.

“Yeah dude! I’m Junpei Iori. Nice to Meet ya” Junpei introduced himself with a tip of his cap. “I transferred here when I was in eighth grade. I know how tough it is bein’ the new kid… So I wanted to say “hey.” ...See what a nice guy I am!” He finished with a wide grin.

While the two were conversing-well more like Junpei was trying to start a conversation with Makoto-Yukari and Kotone walked over from the other side of the classroom.

“Hey, Yuka-tan! I guess we’re in the same class again. Who’s she?” Junpei addressed the two who had just walked up.

*sigh* “At it again this year too? I swear, you will talk to anyone if you think they’ll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?” Yukari lectured him.

“What? But I was just bein’ friendly, right?” Junpei reached over, awkwardly grabbing both of Makoto’s shoulders.

“Personal space man” Makoto tried to shrug him off.

“I guess.” Yukari turned to the two new residents of her dorm. “Looks like all of us are in the same homeroom.”

“Yeah, I’m just glad I know someone. Puts my anxiety at ease.” Kotone nodded.

“Must be a coincidence.” Makoto deadpanned.

“Um, hello? I’m still here!” Junpei tried to place himself back in the conversation, turning to Makoto again. “Anyways, I heard that you two came to school together this morning. What’s up? Gimme the dirt!” Junpei begged.

“First of all.” Kotone interrupted. “It was all 3 of us.” Gesturing to the 3 from the dorm.

“A-and, we live in the same dorm. Of course we would come together. There’s nothing going on, got it?” Yukari added, pointing at Junpei aggressively. Turning towards her dormmates “you two didn’t say anything, did you?“

“Of course not” the two responded at the same time.

“Good, you especially…” She pointed towards Makoto. “Don’t say anything about what happened, got it?”

“You know, the more you mention it like that, the more people will get suspicious Yukari.” Makoto responded, no change in emotion as he packed up his belongings.

“W-what?!” Yukari and Junpei both stammered. 

As Kotone smirked towards Yukari, beginning to say something, Yukari interrupted, waving her hands.

“W-wait a minute! Junpei, don’t get the wrong idea! And Kotone, don’t keep pressing about it! Listen! I just met him yesterday, and there’s ab-so-lute-ly nothing going on between us! Geez…” She trailed off, before starting her monologue again. “Anyways, I need to go. I have an archery club meeting to get to. See ya.”

“Her paranoia is kicking in again.” Junpei stated, slightly sympathetic. “I guess that’s what happens when rumors spread on the first day. No one cares about rumors anyways. But hey, at least people are talking about you on your first day. And about you and one of the popular girls of our grade. You da man!” He clapped Makoto’s shoulders again. “This is gonna be a fun year, I can feel it!” He finished as he grabbed both transfer students into a side hug at the shoulders before leaving for the day.

“Well that happened. Kotone shook her head in slight disbelief. “Ready to head back?”

* * *

“Mr. Ichinoseki?” 

“Hmm? Oh hello Yukari. Are you ready for another year of archery?” Mr. Ichinoseki asked the girl in the pink sweater who had just entered the range.

“Well, that is what I want to ask you about.” Yukari continued the conversation while other club members gathered around the two. “We never have mandatory club meetings on the first day. And when we filled out the club forms at the end of last term, the club was listed as TBD. What does this mean?”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about the club. The TBD is just a formality, because we might have to rename the club. Let me explain.” he explained to Yukari, and then turned to everyone in the range. “Everyone, have a seat.” Mr. Ichinoseki told the club, everyone heading towards the metal benches.

“So this year, we will not have an archery club.” Mr. Ichinoseki told his club members, everyone reacting in either sadness or shock. “But,” he continued, getting the attention back from everyone. “However, we will still have club meetings and practices. The school board decided to expand the club to reach other precision shooting disciplines.”

“Huh? What other disciplines are there?” Many of the club members asked.

As the questions were asked, the sliding door to the range slid open, with a grey heavy duty case sliding halfway through the doorway.

“Ah, you found it Nakano-kun.” Mr. Ichinoseki addressed the guest.

“Y- oh hello everyone.” Naoya addressed the small crowd before entering the range fully. “Sorry, I’m late on the first day. What a way to make an impression, huh.” Naoya rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly.

“Everyone, this is Naoya Nakano, the new 3rd year addition to our program.” Mr. Ichinoseki introduced him. “As you can clearly see, he is not an archer. Nakano-kun, do you want to introduce yourself properly, and set up your gear while you’re at it?” He asked Naoya.

“Sure, not a problem.” He responded as he stood up at attention, giving the same small bow he gave Ms. Ounishi earlier in the day. “My name is Naoya Nakano. I will be joining you here for the next year. Look forward to working alongside everyone.”

Kneeling down, Naoya proceeded to open the multiple clasps and padlocks guarding his rifle case. “I am a 10 meter air rifle shooter, hence the secure hard case. I know that this isn’t quite traditional Japanese archery.” Once he opened the case, he pulled out and placed his competition rifle on the nearby table: a custom black and silver bolt action competition rifle, although in parts, glistening from the sunlight peeking through from down range. “Clearly, this is not a bow, but we engage in similar formats; essentially hit or get close to the center of target. I can explain more if people are interested, but ultimately, I’m not here to take over your club.”

“Wait wait wait.” A very vocal member of the club spoke up. “Mr. Ichinoseki, do you mean that we have to let **_him_ ** into our club? We’ve been an archery-only club since it was created by my sister 5 years ago. A **_boy_ ** , who **_shoots_ ** a **_gun_ **, not a bow and arrow. Am I the only one that sees the problem here?!”

“Yep yep, I’m aware.” Naoya held his hands up defensively. “Actually, I didn't know until now the details of this club, apart from that it was an archery club. Honestly, I don’t want to be the rift that kills this club.” he tried to reason with those against the new entry.

“Well, whaddaya gonna do about it?!” The same student spoke up aggressively.

“How about this.” Naoya began to barter. “My scholarship, as well as the Rifle Association funds that come in for the club, should increase the club budget by a decent amount. As long as club purchases are listed under ‘club equipment expenses’ it shouldn’t be an issue. That, and I would only be practicing in the mornings before classes because of scheduling. Outside of the hallways in passing and maybe the library after school, we will never have to interact with each other. Would that work?” He offered, hiding his sad face behind a facade.

“Hmph, fine.” She responded, seemingly satisfied but still slightly upset, and walking towards her equipment.

“W- well I guess that’s that, then. Okay everyone, let’s make today a casual free practice session. Go ahead and start at your own pace.” Mr. Ichinoseki announced.

With the overall group having dispersed to their shooting stations, Naoya finally relaxed, shoulders sagging and letting out a long depressed sigh, while slowly assembling his rifle. 

Elsewhere in the range, the same two girls conversing after the assembly again were talking, this time about their club’s new member.

“Hey Hana-chan, is it bad that I feel bad for him?” Yukari, the pink-sweatered girl asked her friend in a whisper.

“I don’t know Yukari. Sakurajima-senpai was waaay too harsh on him, but I feel like the school board is just doing whatever they want for some more fame. Do you know about him?” 

“Not a clue. Do you?”

“I think so, My dad was reading a newspaper last month at breakfast, and there was a piece about a teenager winning some shooting competition. The name’s match, so I’m assuming he’s him.”

“Huh. I mean at least he looks like just a normal guy our age, just really tall. I should talk to him later, clear things up about our club and Sakurajima-senpai.”

“Wow, look at you go Yukari. First day and you’re already going after the fresh meat..” Hana-chan teased. “But all things considered, I think he’d appreciate it.”

* * *

“Okay everyone! Short meeting today. First official practice starts Thursday. Meeting adjourned!” Mr. Ichinoseki announced to everyone before walking up to Naoya. “If you want, you can stay a little longer and send some rounds down range.”

“Sure Mr. Ichinoseki, thanks.” He responded.

After a few minutes, everyone, bar two people had left the range: Naoya, who was setting up his paper targets down range, and one Yukari Takeba. As Naoya was walking back, he noticed a brunette in a pink sweater standing by his stand and rifle.

“Hiya, sticking around?” Naoya asked her.

“Yeah. Just wanted to clear up some things. That outburst earlier must have rattled you a little.” Yukari responded.

“Honestly, I can understand where she was coming from. To everyone, I’m just an outsider. I mean let’s be honest, I don’t fit here.” He continued, sadly.

“Yeah, Sakurajima-senpai has a short fuse. And she acts like she’s the next heir of the club since her older sister created it.” She sympathised. “Anyways, my friend knew about you. You’re pretty good with that rifle, huh?”

“I guess you could say that. Want a quick demo?”

“Why not, show me what you got! But where’s your target?”

Before answering, Naoya picked up his rifle, feeling the familiar weight in his hands. With his rifle in his left, he grabbed for his first pellet, placing it within the action.”10 meters away, 1.4 meters high, 45.5 milimeter target, and…” A sharp pop sound rang through the range. “That should be pretty close to center. Wanna come take a look?” Naoya asked Yukari.

“Huh? Yeah sure.” 

Walking up to the target stand, Yukari realised how small the target he was shooting at really was. 

“Aaaaaand.. Eh, not terrible, just outside of the 9 ring.” He pointed out to her. “Target is a lot smaller than what you use isn’t it?”

“It’s really small. Pointing must be a pain.”

“I mean, we shooters really don’t have to. The hard part is shooting. But that’s the case for both of us.”

“What do you mean? It becomes natural if you’re good.”

“No no no, that’s not what I meant. You have to physically draw back the bowstring, and don’t get any sighting optics. I have to deal with body sway and muscle fatigue when I shoot.” Naoya interjected. “Anyways, I’m gonna pack up real quick if you want to keep talking. If not that’s fine, I can lock up behind you.”

“That’s fine, I’ll walk out with you.” She said as she sat down on one of the benches.

A few minutes later, rifle case in hand, both Naoya and Yukari walked out of the range, locking the door behind them.

“Hey, I know we didn’t really introduce each other yet, but I just want to say thanks.” Naoya said softly. “Being the transfer student, all I’ve been hearing around me is whispers and rumors about me. That and Sakurajima-san’s little spiel earlier had me down in the dumps a bit, but talking with you definitely has made me feel better. I’m Naoya Nakano, 3rd year. Nice to meet you.” He introduced himself, hand out ready to shake hands.

“I’m Yukari. Yukari Takeba. 2nd year. And it wasn’t that big of a deal Nakano-senpai.” She returned the gesture.

“You can drop the senpai if you want. You’re the senpai at this club after all. I’m not too fussed about honorifics.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it. Have a good night senpai!” Yukari waved as she left.

Naoya chuckled to himself. “Well so much for dropping the honorifics. I guess I should go back to my dorm and get ready for tomorrow. Maybe start filling out that daily journal I got.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we're finally introduced to some main story characters. Hopefully I can do their characters justice in how I write them in to this specific story.
> 
> As always, feedback and comments are always appreciated. I'll try and take them to heart and respond in a timely manner. If I can keep it up, I will try and maintain a weekly schedule, but that may change as this story is still in its early stages.
> 
> Next chapter titled 2401 will be out next Saturday, if not earlier.  
> Until next chapter,  
> -LTK


	4. 2401

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two transfer students at the Iwatodai dorm learns firsthand about the horrors of this strange period during the night, as well as start to unravel the secrets of the dorm and its residents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance for the multiple timeline skips and rewinds coming up. For those who know the plot of P3 will know the importance of the days written in this chapter.

April 8th 2009

“Oh they’re back.”

“So, these are our new guests.” A sophisticated man in a beige suit exclaimed from one of the chairs by the door. He motioned towards the open sofa seats around the coffee table, prompting the two transfer students to sit down. “My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I’m the chairman of the board for Gekkoukan High School. ‘Ikutsuki’... hard to say, isn’t it? That’s why I don’t like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied.”

“ _No he doesn’t. I bet he enjoys introducing himself._ ” Kotone thought to herself, sitting down at one end of the couch opposite of Ikutsuki.

“ _It’s not even hard to say._ ” Makoto thought to himself, sitting on the opposite side of Kotone.

“Anyways.” Ikutsuki continued. “I apologize about the confusion with your housing accommodations. I know we told the both of you that this would be temporary, but it may take a while longer before you are officially assigned to a permanent dormitory. While I’m here, do either of you have any questions for me?” He directed at the two in the sofa across from him.

“I have one.” Kotone announced, instinctively raising her hand. “I already met Yukari-chan, Mitsuru-san, and Makoto-kun. Who else lives here. It seems like an awfully large building for just the few of us here.”

“Good observation Shiomi-san. There is one more, a third year named Akihiko Sanada. Hopefully everyone gets acquainted soon.” Ikutsuki replied back. “What about you Yuuki-kin?”

“Umm. Well, when I showed up the other night, I saw something…” Makoto trailed off as Yukari looked over at him nervously.

“Something?” Ikutsuki pondered in his seat. “You were probably just tired. You did get in late after all. I wouldn’t worry about it.” He waved off as he stood up, turning to Yukari who stood behind him. “Yukari, where is Mitsuru? I have some business with her tonight.”

“She should be upstairs.” 

“As diligent as always. Well, I’ll leave you two for the evening. Make sure to get to bed in a timely manner. As they say, “the early bird catches the bookworm!” …” Ikutsuki left for the stairs, lightly chuckling to himself.

As the two transfer students looked towards each other with both dumbfounded reactions, Yukari spoke up. 

“You’ll get used to his lame jokes.” She sighed towards the two.

“That. Was. Painful.” Makoto deadpanned.

“I just lost years off my life span in that conversation.” Kotone giggled.

“A-anyways,” Yukari rushed to end the conversation before it went back to the events of the night before. “We should all get to bed. It is pretty late after all.”

The two transfers nodded, each saying their good nights to each other and heading to their respective dorms rooms.

* * *

“How are they doing Mitsuru?” Ikutsuki asked from his computer chair.

“They’re both doing perfectly fine.” Mitsuru responded, handing Ikutsuki two manila folders, before going back to the multiple screens on the wall.

While skimming through both the folders, Ikutsuki started speaking to the room, not directly directed at any particular person. “The Dark Hour. A phenomenon that occurs every day at 12 midnight; you could say that it’s the ‘hidden’ hour. During this time, an ordinary person transmogrifies into a coffin, and is oblivious to all that occurs.”

“That means that Makoto-kun already saw people after they were transmogrified!” Yukari exclaimed.

“How do you mean Yukari?” Ikutsuki turned, facing her.

“When he arrived last night, he asked me about what happened on his way here from the station.”

“That would line up with the facts. In fact, switch the camera feed to his room please Mitsuru.”

The main screen on the wall switched to a wide shot of Makoto’s room, showing him sound asleep in his bed, still in his human form.

“As you can see, he’s retained his human form. He’s asleep, as shown on his diagnostics there on the right. He might be asleep, but he definitely can experience the Dark Hour; he already has after all.” 

“Do you want me to switch the feed Chairman?” Mitsuru asked.

“Go ahead Mitsuru.” Ikutsuki directed. The main screen switched to a camera feed of Kotone’s room, also showing her asleep in her room, also remaining in her human form.

*gasp* “Kotone too?!” Yukari almost yelled, unsure of what to make of what she was seeing.

“They’re both still in their human forms. We know for a fact that Yuuki-kun can experience the Dark Hour, and we can safely assume that Shiomi-kun can as well. The question on the table right now is do they have the potential or not. Although…” Ikutsuki pondered, hands in his lap.

“Although what?” Yukari asked nervously.

“If they didn’t have the potential, they would have preyed on them by now. This dorm would have been attacked ever since they arrived. Plus, Yuuki-kun managed to walk by himself from the station with no issues whatsoever.” He finished explaining.

“That’s a scary thought.” Yukari spoke softly, sitting back in her chair.

“Indeed, Takeba.” Mitsuru agreed, changing the screens from the camera feed to more data.

“In any case, we should continue to monitor their status for a few more days.” Ikustuki directed to the room, going back to the folders in front of him.

“Yes sir.” Mitsuru took the order.

“I do feel kinda bad. And a bit like a creeper, spying on the two of them.” Yukari finished in a sad tone, looking towards the screens.

* * *

During the late hours of the night, Makoto awakes from his sleep, sitting in a chair with a lyre-shaped back, among a wide room of just blue. Blue carpet, blue furniture, several doors covered in blue drapes, walls padded like blue cushions, and a back wall that resembled an ornate chain link fence going up to the ceiling with an embedded clock that was continuously spinning.

As Makoto sat up, taking in the foreign surroundings, he noticed two things: that the room was moving upwards like he was in a large elevator, and the strange looking man with an abnormally long nose sitting behind the table in between the two.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man. My name is Igor. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” He introduced himself before motioning off to his right, bringing in another person, this one a female dressed in a blue dress holding a large book. “This is Elizabeth. She’s a resident here, like myself.”

“Pleased to meet you.” She said with a slow and deep bow.

“This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… It has been several years since we’ve last had a guest.” As he spoke, he gave a small wave of his hand, with the red guest register that Makoto signed on the first night appearing on the table in between the two, opening to the contract with his signature on it. “Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place… Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require mine and your attendant’s help to do so. I only ask that you abide by the contract in front of you, and assume full responsibility for the choices and actions you make.”

Confused, sleepy, and only slightly fazed by the whole situation he found himself in, Makoto responded in his usual deadpan emotion towards Igor and Elizabeth. “So pick my choices carefully, that’s it?”

“Indeed.” Igor answered with a nod. “Your actions towards anything, everything and everyone will affect the future and your ability. Anything else my young guest?”

“Is this a dream?”

“Precisely… You are fast asleep in the real world as we speak. This visit of yours is merely a dream. However, you will come here on your own accord, sooner or later.” With the room and its two residents slowly vanishing into darkness, a rush of crystalline butterflies emerged and collected on one point, turning into an old-fashioned blue key, slowly floating into Makoto’s hand. “Hold on to this…”

“‘Til we meet again…” Elizabeth spoke as the last remnants of the Velvet Room vanished.

With that, Makoto was left suspended in total darkness, slowly going back to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

April 9th 2009

“Oh, you’re up late Kotone-chan.” Yukari spoke up on her way to the kitchen from upstairs.

Kotone had been sitting in one of the couches in the living room, working on an assignment that was splayed out all over the coffee table in front of her. Although she was dressed in her pyjamas with a hoodie over them, and her hair out of her ponytail, she had just enough of a haggard look to her that gave off the ‘I’m struggling with this, but I’m fine’ vibe.

“It’s only…” Kotone looked around the room, trying to find the clock on the wall. ”Umm, actually what time is it Yukari?” She asked nervously, ribbing the nape of her neck with a pencil still in her hand.

“Just past ten. It’s only the first week. Don’t stress out too hard over there.” Yukari shouted over from the kitchen, now holding two glasses of water in her hands.

“I know Yukari… I just wanted to get ahead so I have the weekend to do whatever.” Kotone responded, slightly sadly, clearly not happy with the lack of progress she was making.

Yukari let out a long, but sympathetic sigh, walking over to Kotone, now with three glasses of water, setting one down next to her notepad. “It’s a nice idea, but you should pace yourself through the week. Trust me, I tried what you’re doing last year. Did not go well.” She shivered, internally having her own little flashback moment. “Just make sure you get some sleep, okay?”

“Sure thing Yukari.” Kotone gave her thanks with a smile, going back to her homework.

“ _I hope she gets to bed soon._ ” Yukari thought as she shook her head looking at the clock in the living room, going back up the stairs with her two glasses.

* * *

* _a couple of hours later_ *

The office somewhere in the dorm building glowed with the night emanating off of the multiple screens on the walls, each with some form of data or diagnostics on them. The three people in the room, each performing their own tasks, studied the data in front of them carefully, one of them almost waiting for something big to happen.

“How is he?” Ikutsuki asked Mitsuru, who was at her seat at the computer screens in front of her like the night before.

“No changes, the same as last night.” Mitsuru replied.

“Hmm. Very interesting. This subject is rather unique. He hasn’t exhibited any of the common symptoms.” Ikutsuki pondered, the glare off the monitors glanced off of his glasses, hands perched together under his chin.

“Do you have to treat him like a lab experiment?” Yukari asked, slightly offended on behalf of the sleeping Makoto on the screen.

“I understand your concern, but it’s imperative that we recruit new members. I heard he’s your classmate… Speaking of classmates, how’s Koto--”

* **_BEEP BEEP BEEP_ ***

“Command Room. Is that you, Akihiko?” Mitsuru commanded into the mic, responding to the call, and getting the attention of the other two in the room.

“You’re not gonna believe this! This thing is massive! I don’t have time to talk, it’s chasing me! Thought I should let you know, I’m almost back!” Akihiko shouted, his voice and heavy panting playing through the speakers on the computer.

“D-does that mean he’s bringing that thing here?!” Yukari yelled, panic in her voice.

“Mr. Chairman! Suspend the observations! Prepare for battle!” Mitsuru commanded the two in the room, running out the door and down the stairs with Yukari in tow. 

Upon reaching the footing of the stairs, the two saw an exhausted slumped against the large double doors of the dormitory. 

“Akihiko!” Mitsuru yelled, running over to the exhausted Akihiko, not sitting against the doors.

“Senpai!?” Yukari joined, following very close to Mitsuru.

“I’m fine. Get ready to be surprised… It’ll be here any second.” Akihiko spoke up between labored breaths.

“This isn’t a joke senpai!” Yukari yelled at her senpai.

“Is it a shadow?” Mitsuru asked, eyes scanning towards the doors as Akihiko got up on one knee, trying to stand up.

“Yeah, but not a-” He was interrupted when the ground shook violently. “Not an ordinary one, that’s for sure.” He concluded.

“What the…?! Are you kidding me?!” Yukari shouted, now in a slight panicked state.

“Takeba, get Yuuki and Shiomi from their rooms and escape out the back!” Mitsuru started shouting out commands like a seasoned field commander of a JSDF regiment.

“But what about you two?!” She responded back immediately, concerned about her senpai’s.

“We’ll hold it here. You led it to us, Akihiko, so you’ll have to hold it here with me. Get going Takeba!”

“I-I’m going!” Yukari ran up the stairs, looking for the two transfer students.

* * *

Running down the second floor hall and arriving at the last door on the right, Yukari pounded on the door, trying to wake up the occupant inside.

“Makoto-kun! Wake up! Oh screw this, sorry if you aren’t decent, I’m coming in!” With that, she essentially busted down the door and ran into his room, seeing a now slightly dazed, half-asleep, and topless Makoto sitting up in his bed.

“Get a shirt on, and let’s go! We need to get out of here!” She commanded Makoto, practically dragging him out of the room once he got a simple sweatshirt on.

“What’s happening?” Makoto mumbled running alongside Yukari before the two suddenly stopped at the vending machine by the stairs, where she reached behind it, pulling out a sword of all things.

“Here, take this! And no time to explain, we need to get Kotone from her room.” She yelled as she ran up the stairs, now with Makoto running after her, albeit now armed and not being dragged behind her by the wrists. 

“Why is there even a sword behind the vending machine? What kind of dorm is this?” He kept grumbling, not seeming like getting a solid answer from Yukari anytime soon.

Reaching the top of the stairs, instead of heading straight for the end of the hall like according to the plan, Yukari stopped in front of her room, quickly opening the door and retrieving a bow and quiver of arrows before running off towards Kotone’s door, confusing Makoto even more than before.

“Come on, hurry up!” She yelled towards Makoto, who was now falling back slightly.

“ _Says the person who stopped to get more weapons, and won’t tell me what’s going on._ ” He thought in an internal sassy voice, not in any more of a hurry than before.

“Kotone-chan! Wake up! We need to leave!” Yukari yelled into her room, similar to how she did with Makoto’s room a few minutes prior. After a few seconds of no response, she again did the same as Makoto, unlocking the door and opening it with a slam. However, instead of finding someone in the room, all Yukari found was a regular dormitory room, with a neatly made bed and organized desk, but no Kotone.

“W-what?!” Yukari started to panic, immediately contacting Mitsuru. “Mitsuru-senpai. Kotone’s not in her room!”

* * *

* _A few minutes before_ *

A moment after Yukari had left to fetch Makoto and Kotone, and while Akihiko was catching Mitsuru up on the situation, the two third-years heard some rattling coming from the dark corner of the living room portion of the common area, immediately stopping the two.

“Hmm, did someone call for me?” A groggy-sounding female voice spoke up quietly from what seemed like one of the couches.

“Who’s there?!” Akihiko yelled towards the voice, now standing on his feet.

“Shiomi! What are you doing out here?!” Recognizing the voice, Mitsuru ran towards the couches, seeing Kotone huddled in her sweatshirt, homework still scattered across the coffee table in front of her.

“Wha-? Mitsuru-senpai?! What are y- Wait, why is everything green?!” Kotone jumped up, now entirely awake.

“No time to explain.” As soon as she started to talk, the ground once again shook violently, stronger than the last time a few minutes prior. “We need to get you to safety, now!” Mitsuru started moving towards the stairs, almost dragging Kotone by the wrists, before she heard the voice of Yukari in her ears.

“Mitsuru-senpai, Kotone’s not in her room!”

“Takeba, we have Kotone downstairs! Come back and grab her, and get them to safety!” Mitsuru commanded, snapping back into her field commander mode. 

“On my way!”

“Heh, so Yukari got the other one huh?” Akihiko said, a slightly laid back tone, too much ease for the situation.

“Akihiko, get serious for a second!” Mitsuru berated Akihiko, before turning to a now very awake Kotone. “Shiomi, get ready to-”

Suddenly, a very aggressive force impacted the side of the dormitory building right above the front door, sending a large tremor through the building and breaking windows as well as a part of the wall on the second floor.

“Change * _static_ * plans, senpai! We * _static_ * only go up-!” Yukari yelled through the communication line before it abruptly cut out.

“Takeba! Come in Takeba!” Mitsuru tried to respond, each time to no avail.

 ***BANG BANG** * The front doors of the dorms rattled, with a possible intruder slamming into it repeatedly from the other side.

“You, Shiomi! Get behind that counter!” Akihiko, who until now had no interaction with Kotone until now, yelled at her, trying to hold the doors closed with his body weight.

“G-Got it!’ She scampered towards the front desk, huddling right behind the corner of the counter.

 ***BANG BANG** * The front doors of the dorms again rattled, the force against the door strong enough to crack open the front doors, as well as dropping a red folder on top of her head from on top of the counter.

“Oww…” Kotone rubbed the spot where the folder hit her head, picking it up and reading the cover. “Guest registrar? Must’ve fallen fro-” As she moved to place it back to the counter, she noticed a small boy dressed in ragged pyjama-like clothing, sitting on the edge of the counter, smiling at her.

“Hi there.” He said with an almost unnaturally large grin. “I’ve been waiting for you. I see you already got your hands on the contract there.” The guest registrar or ‘contract’ opened up to the front page, showing the same contract that Makoto signed when he arrived at the dorms.

“All you have to do is sign your name there to proceed. Don’t worry, it’s just saying that you'll take responsibility for your actions and so on. You know, standard contract jargon.” He conclude, holding a fancy pen out

“O-ohkay..” Kotone replied nervously, unsure why she was listening to this mysterious boy, but signing the contract regardless, to the approval of the boy.

“And so it begins for another…” And with that, the boy disappeared towards the commotion, the contract magically following him into nothingness.

“H-hey, explain yours-” She peeked over the counter, trying to see where the boy vanished to. But her attention was immediately drawn to the newly-acquainted Akihiko standing at the doors--which now at this point was cracked open at the seams, both literally and metaphorically--staring down the terrifying creature, holding a gun-like object to his temple.

Before she could stop herself, Kotone screamed out to her senpai, not knowing what was exactly going on. “Senpai! NO!”

Distracted by the sudden interruption, Akihiko snapped his head towards the scream, taking his attention away from the attacking creature. Before he could do anything, the front double doors were blown off of their hinges, knocking both third years onto their back and out of commission. The blast also sent the gun-like device flying over the counter and right behind Kotone, clattering on the ground nearby where she signed the contract only a few moments earlier.

Although to the normal person, this device just looks like an ornate pistol, Kotone picked it up in her hands, feeling the weight of it and the engraving where the slide would be. Although seeing her senpai literally try to shoot himself in the head--uninterrupted by the other--should have turned her away from the situation, Kotone firmly grasped the pistol at the grip and slowly stood up from behind the counter, staring in the direction from where the action was.

Standing up, what she saw could only be described as carnage. Both wooden doors, blown apart to smithereens, scattered all around the entry area of the dorm. Among the remains of the doors, her two senpai’s sprawled on the floor, both unconscious and unable to escape the force of terror that stood at the opening in the wall. 

The only way to describe this creature would be ‘a large spider’. Countless long appendages with a human-like hand at then end of each, the creature either walked on them, or brandished daggers in them, apart from one. In the hand of the middle arm, a blue oval-shaped mask was held in its fingertips, seemingly using it to peer into the where the doors used to be in the direction of Akihiko and Mitsuru.

Even with everything going on in front of her, Kotone wasn’t externally panicked, although internally scared. Although she possessed a deadly weapon in her hands, she didn’t feel the need to point it towards the strange creature. Instead, she slowly brought the gun up, pointing it towards her temple, the weapon slightly wavering around before placing it firmly against its intended target. 

After a moment, Mitsuru slowly regained consciousness, blurry vision slowly coming back to her. Unbeknownst to Kotone, Mitsuru now turned her head towards the counter, seeing a head of auburn hair and the distinctive glint of a SEES evoker.

“Shiomi… what… are you… doing…” Mitsuru tried to say, only coming out as breathless whispers. With her condition, she and Akihiko were in no shape to assist in helping Kotone escape, nor were they ready to hear that special word come out of her mouth.

“Per-so-na!” Kotone whispered, firing off the evoker, the glass-breaking sound ringing through the living room area of the dormitory. From within the smoke, a deep booming voice emitted, speaking the words “Thou art I, and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Orpheus, master of strings.” Once the smoke cleared from the area, a gold and white anthropomorphic robot, armed with a heart-shaped lyre, floated behind Kotone. 

As soon as the being appeared, the multi-armed monster immediately switched its attention to Kotone. Although unarmed herself, Orpheus immediately jumped into action, bludgeoning the monster with its lyre and rendering a couple of its arms out of commission. Unsatisfied with the result, Orpheus ‘threw’ a fireball at it, pushing it back from the doors and setting it alight, as well as part of the carpet of the dorm. Giving it one last insurance hit, Orpheus bashed its lyre into the arm holding the mask, producing a visible crack along the right eye socket, and making it retreat form the situation, and instead climbing the dorm building itself.

“AND STAY OUT!!” Kotone screamed at the creature that had scarpered away, followed by a deep sigh. Shoulders relaxed, she turned towards her senpai’s, who at this point were now conscious, as well as staring at her with wide eyes.

“Ah senpai! Are you okay?!” She cried out in concern of her two senpai’s who were slowly getting to their knees after being flung back minutes before. Holding her hand out to help Akihiko stand up, Kotone struggled to help him up, let alone hold her hand out without it shaking uncontrollably. 

“Shiomi! You aren’t in any state to help right now. You've done more than plenty for now.” Mitsuru stated in a firm but caring tone.

“You did well Shiomi. Good job.” Akihiko added in a tired but sincere tone, holding Kotone by the shoulders and guiding her to one of the couches that hadn't been overturned, who had now started to teeter in her feet and dropping the evoker at her feet.

“Wh-what just happened? What did I just do?” Kotone asked shakily, not realizing how tired she truly felt after what she just went though.

“We’ll have to explain later. We’re not out of the woods quite yet.” Akihiko said plainly, grabbing his evoker and placing it in his holster.

“O-okay.” Kotone managed to mumble out, before she slumped over against one of the armrests. The last thing she managed to make out before everything blacked out was Mitsuru trying to reach the others in the building.

“Takeba, what’s your status?!”

* * *

* _A few minutes before_ *

“Takeba, we have Kotone downstairs! Come back and grab her, and get them to safety!” Mitsuru’s orders came through the comms.

“On my way!” Yukari responded to the order, signaling Makoto to follow her.

Suddenly, a very aggressive force impacted the side of the dormitory building, rocking the entire building, as well as sending bits of the wall out onto the main stairs, creating an impasse and cutting off Makoto and Yukari from the rest of the group.

“So the stairs are a no-go then?” Makoto asked, slightly sarcastically.

“Change in plans, senpai! We can only go up the stairs!” Yukari yelled through the communication line, hoping the message got through before her connection turned into static.

With a nod, both 2nd years seemingly agreeing on the plan, they both turned and started running for the stairs going up to the third floor. When the two were halfway up the stairs leading up to the 4th floor, Makoto suddenly stopped, looking out towards the green moon and sky.

“Huh?! Makoto-kun?!” Yukari asked, confused by his sudden stop. “Our lives are in danger! Do you want to die?!”

“Is dying that scary to you?” He deadpanned back, still staring at the discolored moon, unfazed by the faint sounds of fire and thudding coming from down in the lobby.

“H-how… How could you say that?” Yukari quietly responded, hand over her mouth, slightly scared and shocked with what had just come out of his mouth.

Before either could continue, a large spider-like creature, slightly charred and with some mangled limbs, appeared on the other side of the glass. Slowly, the blueish oval face mask turned towards the stairwell, focusing on the two second years. With its “eyes” set on the two, it managed to crank a few of its limbs towards the window, shattering it and sending glass fragments towards them, resulting in several lacerations to the two.

“To the roof! We need to go!” Yukari shouted towards Makoto with a wince, slowly feeling the blood trickle out of the newly acquired injuries.

Passing the doors of the big office room (which at this point was unbeknownst to Makoto), the two ran up a narrower stairwell, reaching a single metal door. With a hefty push, they found themselves on the roof of the dorm, basked in the eerie green glow of the strange moon. 

“ I think we’re okay for now.” Yukari sighed, leaning up against the door they just passed through.

Makoto opened his mouth to respond, probably with skepticism, but before he could say anything, the spider-like creature slowly crept up onto the very roof the two were taking refuge on. With its entire body on the roof, that blue oval mask turned towards Yukari and started to move towards her.

Noticing the slow advances the creature was making, Yukari attempted to grab the gun in her leg holster, the same gun she pointed at Makoto a couple of days prior. Instead of pointing it towards the obvious foe in this situation, she turned the gun towards her head, but with a very clear fear of whatever she was planning on doing. 

This creature, realizing her fear and hesitation, took the opportunity and slashed at Yukari’s weapon, disarming her and knocking her to the other side of the roof, putting her out of commission. The gun Yukari had held just seconds before clattered on the ground, ending up right at Makoto’s feet. Unfazed by the sudden clattering of the gun hitting the cold concrete of the roof floor, the creature began its slow crawl towards an unconscious Yukari.

As Makoto looked down to pick up the ornate pistol that ended up near him, he saw the “S.E.E.S.” script engraving on the slide. Running his thumb over it, his vision was suddenly taken over by a vision of the mysterious boy from that night he arrived at the dorm. Seemingly sitting on nothing but darkness, he reached his hand out, his palm magically appearing beneath the gun Makoto held in his hands. “Go on…” The boy instructed as he vanished, vision restoring back to the green tinted night.

Spurred on by the mysterious boy from his vision and Yukari’s actions from earlier, Makoto grasped the gun firmly in his hands, and brought it up to his temple, just like Yukari. Without much hesitation, he whispered the word and pulled the trigger.

“Per-so-na.”

With the sound of glass breaking ringing through the air and a blue energy cloud appearing around him, a white and light blue anthropomorphic robot appeared floating above him, lyre in hand. 

“Thou art I, and I am thou, From the sea of souls I cometh. I am Orpheus, master of strings…” The being spoke in a booming voice, ringing in the green night sky.

With the new floating being introduced into the scene, the creature turned its attention to it and Makoto, moving away from Yukari lying prone on the roof floor. With the creature’s attention on Orpheus, the lyre-wielding robot casted a salvo of fireballs towards the creatures. Seeing those only did cosmetic damage to their intended target, Orpheus attempted to bash it with his lyre. Similar to when Kotone attempted the same tactics, all Orpheus was able to do was bludgeon the limbs.

Throughout this entire rooftop encounter, the only human that had been targeted was Yukari. Even though Makoto hadn’t been attacked himself, he all of the sudden staggered on his feet, screaming towards the green moon in the sky. Similar to Makoto, Orpheus staggered in the air and screamed out a robotic pained scream. With the scream, Orpheus started to convulse, head retracting into the body shell. 

In its place, two white-gloved arms appeared out of where the head had been, ripping Orpheus’ body apart. Instead of a robotic being, now a human-like being in a blue long coat and a appeared in its place. Brandishing a European longsword and a cape-like object made up of multiple coffin lids, the new floating being roared into life, immediately going after the advancing creature. After a flurry of slashes on the enemy, the only remnants of the creature wiggled in the new swordbearer’s hands, until it squeezed, making the last bit of the creature explode into a glob of black ichor.

With the battle over, the swordbearer flickered back to Orpheus, before disappearing entirely. The roof now covered in black ichor, some burning in their piles, Makoto dropped his gun, before collapsing altogether onto the roof, unconscious. By this point, Yukari had come to, still lying on the roof while the combat happened. Now slightly covered in black ichor, she slowly crawled over to a now unconscious Makoto, trying to wake him up and do what she could to help the person that had saved her.

“H-hey… Say something… Come on. Makoto-kun!” Yukari tried her best to get through to Makoto, both still on the ground by the door. With no response, she started to slowly lose consciousness from the injuries she sustained. The last thing she heard before blacking out herself was the slam of the metal door opening, and the shouts from Mitsuru, as well as a silhouette of a bespectacled man running up slightly behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So combat is hard to write, I've found out. I've also figured my writing style is very speech-heavy, like a visual novel. Hopefully I can not just write conversations for who knows how long. Next step, I have to somehow retcon the time period when the protagonists were out of commission in the original game, so already looking forward to that
> 
> I have my first paper for the term due next week, so I'll be focusing on that, but I'll still aim for the Saturday uploads regardless.
> 
> As always, feedback and comments are much appreciated!
> 
> -LTK
> 
> *Note*  
> Turns out that my publication date hasn't been set correctly, so each updates have been lost in the ether of AO3. Hopefully I remember to change the dates in the future. Happy Valentine's Day! -LTK


	5. Resume Playback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the events of April 9th, the team regroup, and realize that the two transfer students have more in common than just being new students.

April 10th 2009

“Good morning Iwatodai. The time is 5:30AM. This is the news from the night of the 9th.” The TV lightly hummed in the background, filling the air of an otherwise quiet dormitory room. Within it, Naoya stood at his desk, getting his course materials ready for the day, packing his school bag neatly. 

“ _ Practice, and then literature, gotta make sure I have that packet I was working on last night in my bag. _ ” Naoya thought to himself, talking himself through his tasks for the morning. After zipping up his bag and walking towards the fridge where he kept his lunch for the day, the news announcer from the news caught his attention.

“A building was attacked in the late hours of the night near the Iwatodai monorail station. The building in question was a small dormitory building for specific students attending the local Gekkoukan High School. Police are currently investigating the scene. At this point, it is unclear why this building was attacked, or what caused the damages. Both the Gekkoukan Board as well as the Kirijo Group, the owners of the building, have yet to comment.”

“ _ Jeez, someone attacked a dorm building? What kind of messed up person would do such a thing. And why does the name Kirijo sound so familiar? Either way, I bet this will shake up things at school today. _ ” He pondered, looking towards the TV from the fridge, the door still open from him grabbing the bento for the day. 

Before getting even more distracted, he turned off the small TV sitting on the kitchenette counter and grabbed all of his necessary belongings and left for the campus, double checking that his door was properly locked before leaving the building complex.

Upon arriving at the campus, Naoya found that the front gate was shut, and that two uniformed officers stood at the gate in conversation. Before he could make it to the gates proper, one of the officers turned and grabbed his attention. 

“Hey son, you’re early for classes.” The officer called over to Naoya.

“Good morning sir. I’m here for club practice. What’s going on?”

“Well, with the incident this morning at one of the dorms, we were called out to all of the school’s properties to make sure nothing suspicious was happening. And right now, I’ve not been told of a student showing up almost 90 minutes before classes for club practice.” The officer said sternly, crossing his arms.

As Naoya stood in front of the gate and the officer that was conversing with him, he noticed just how massive this officer was. Massive not in terms of size, but really well-built, as well as tall. Naoya might have been a decently-tall 6’ 1”, this officer stood another couple of inches taller. This height advantage placed his really chiseled jawline sitting on top of broad shoulders right in view for Naoya to see. Carefully analyzing the absolute unit of a man in front of him, Naoya noticed his silver nameplate pinned to his uniform by his radio, said Kurosawa, reminding him that he was the officer to talk to about his storage locker for the range.

“I’m the new air rifle shooter with the archery club. I was supposed to talk to an Officer Kurosawa at Paulownia Mall. is that you by chance?” Naoya asked, trying to not be intimidated by the officer standing right in front of him.

“Then that makes you Nakano-kun, correct?. Officer Kurosawa, nice to meet you.” They shook hands, both with a very strong and solid grip on the other. “Listen son, the school is going to be under partial lockdown, club activities included. I bet the faculty haven’t sent out any notices either. You’re most likely awake earlier than your homeroom teacher.” He finished with a chuckle.

“Why are you here for practice this early, anyways?” The other officer asked, now walking towards Naoya away from the gate.

“Well, there was an argument with some of the club members. The best way everyone was pleased was that we would have separate practices, since we share the range.” Naoya responded, slightly saddened by the memory of the argument from the first day.

“Well, we are going to have to discuss what to do. We obviously can’t have you roaming the school this early, especially considering your discipline of choice.” Officer Kurosawa spoke, establishing authority over the situation. 

“Are you going to be okay returning to your dorm, kid?” The other officer asked.

“I’ll make do. I’ll ask Mr. Ichinoseki after class today about what to do with my practices.” Naoya responded to the two officers.

“Alright, get going Nakano. I’ll join your conversation after school. See you then.” Officer Kurosawa finished, walking back to the gate.

“Thank you sir. Excuse me.” Naoya bowed, returning to the monorail station.

“Why did you have to make my job today more difficult Takashi?” Officer Kurosawa muttered under his breath, his partner now back at the other side of the school gate.

* * *

April 11th 2009

“So to recap, a method to find if the sample is the mineral calcite is by what?” Ms. Ounishi finished writing on the chalkboard, turning towards her class and looking for someone to answer her. “How about you Nakano-kun?”

“Umm, you take a drop of diluted hydrochloric acid to the sample and see if it fizzes or not.” Naoya answered, reading through his notes.

“Correct. We will have a lab around calcite and minerals next week, but unfortunately we won’t be able to use hydrochloric acid in it.”

*school chimes ringing*

“Okay class, good work today. Just remember to read up on identifying minerals for lab next week. Have a good weekend!” Ms. Ounishi addressed the class, gathering her class materials from the podium. As Naoya closed his notebook and binder dedicated for his science classes, he was called to the podium by Ms. Ounishi. 

“Hey Nakano-kun, could you do me a favor? Can you bring the pre-lab notes and worksheet to Kirijo-san? Since you’re assigned as her lab partner for the lab and all.”

“I mean I have no problems bringing her the worksheets, but is it okay for me to just go to her dorm just like that?” Naoya responded hesitantly.

“I don’t have any reason against it. Students bring their friends coursework to their house all of the time.” Ms. Ounishi returned with a bright smile. “Plus, Kirijo-san is the student council president, she might appreciate getting a little bit of help from time to time.”

“I-if you say so.” He said as he grabbed the stapled packets with Mitsuru’s name already clearly written on the top. “How do I get to her dorm though? I'm pretty sure she isn’t at the athlete dorm like I am.”

“Her dorm is in Iwatodai, just a little ways past the mall with all of the food places. Looks like a hotel. You can’t miss it. Thanks a bunch, you’re doing both of us a favor here Nakano-kun.” Ms. Ounishi finished, waving off Naoya as he left the classroom.

* * *

Walking past the shoe lockers like many of the other students, Naoya was in deep thought on the entire walk towards the monorail station. The dorm incident that was on the news the morning before still played over and over through his mind. Particularly the mention of the Kirijo name. Something about the Kirijo name being associated with the school and Mitsuru’s last name being the same didn’t sit right in the mind of Naoya. What was their family about? Why was she in a hotel dorm? Why did so many people in class have strong opinions about Mitsuru?

Just like back when he found out about his scholarship, being lost in thought allowed him to finish his rail journey in no time whatsoever. Walking through the turnstiles at Iwatodai Station, Naoya continued towards the strip mall, taking in all of the smells and sounds before heading further down the street, the opposite direction to where he would go normally after leaving school.

Just like Ms. Ounishi had told him in the classroom, Naoya eventually found a brown brick building that strangely resembles a hotel-like building. However, today there was a large blue tarp draped over the middle section of the building, as well as a police officer and a man in a beige suit standing at the front doors.

“Hello. This dorm is closed for the immediate future. How can I help you?” The man in the duit spoke, turning away from the officer and towards Naoya.

“Hi. I’m here to deliver some worksheets for a classmate of mine. My homeroom teacher suggested it.”

“Hmm. Who is your classmate?”

“Mitsuru Kirijo.”

As soon as Mitsuru’s name left Naoya’s mouth, the officer tensed up, the change in attitude not noticed by Naoya.

“Ikutsuki-san, I can take him inside.” The officer spoke quickly, trying to hurry the conversation along.

“Okay, I will wait out here in case more people arrive.” Ikutsuki said nonchalantly, allowing both the officer and Naoya to enter the building, walking under the blue tarp covering where the front doors used to be. 

Immediately, Naoya saw the charred remains of a red carpet and flipped furniture, as well as splinters from what could be assumed came from the front doors. In general, it looked like it was a breaking and entering situation, but with a lot more fire. Before Naoya could snoop around more, the officer patted his shoulder, signalling him to keep moving towards the main staircase.

Going up the stairs to the third floor, Naoya understood what Ms. Ounishi meant when she mentioned this dorm building was like a hotel. Carpet lining the middle of the hallway, with ornate lights lining the walls between the doors, as well as nameplates next to each door, indicating the room number as well as its occupant. Walking up to a door on the left with the name Kirijo on the doorplate, the officer went ahead and knocked on it before Naoya could get the worksheets from his bag.

“Ms. Kirijo, you have a guest.” The officer announced into the room.

“One moment.” Mitsuru’s voice could be heard coming softly from the room. After a couple of light footsteps, the door clicked open, a rather battered and bruised Mitsuru standing in the doorway.

“Oh, hello Nakano.”

“Hello Kirijo-san. Ms. Ounishi told me to bring you the science worksheets that you missed. Since we’re starting lab on Monday, she didn’t want you to fall behind.” Naoya reached into his bag, pulling out the packet of papers and handing them to Mitsuru. 

“Thank you.” She responded simply, receiving the papers with a bandaged hand. “I apologize for having you go out of your way to deliver these to me. I very much appreciate it.”

“Not a problem at all Kirijo-san. My dorm is just on the other side of the station. Anyways, I’ll get out of your hair. Have a good weekend.” Naoya bid farewell to Mitsuru, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

“Have a good evening Nakano. Officer, a word if I may?” Mitsuru addressed the officer in a hushed tone, out of Naoya’s earshot.

“Nakano-san, will you be alright on your way out?” The officer called out to Naoya, who had just reached the end of the hallway.

“Shouldn’t be an issue. I’ll let the man in the suit know I am done with my business here.” Naoya responded with a wave, heading down the stairs.

“Kirijo-san, how can I be of assistance today?”

“How are they doing?”

“Sanada-san should be over there now, doing the daily checks. He should be able to debrief you when he returns for the debrief.”

* * *

At a hospital on the other side of Iwatodai, Akihiko paced back and forth in the sterile and bleak hallways, concern on his face every pass he made. 

“Senpai, you pacing isn’t going to help them get better.” Yukari leant against the wall next to a door, freshly bandaged and very slightly limping.

Without any more words, the two stood in front of the door, looking downtrodden at the names of the patients placed within. 

“ _ Yuuki, Makoto. M, Age 16. _ ”

“ _ Shiomi, Kotone. F, Age 16. _ ”

“What a night that was. Who knew they would both awaken…” Yukari trailed off, eyes still fixed to the names on the wall.

“I’m not going to say I wasn't surprised, but that whole situation could have gone better.” Akihiko reminisced, now standing with arms crossed and standing against the wall, right where Yukari was previously.

“I mean, you did bring that massive shadow right to our doorstep. What were you thinking?!” Yukari berated, her voice slightly rising, reverberating through the hallway.

“Well I didn’t have many options!” Akihiko defended.

“Hey you two! This is a hospital! Have some respect!” A nurse peeked from around the corner, reprimanding the two students. 

“S-sorry!” The two raised their hands, immediately shutting up.

After a deep sigh was shared between the two, Akihiko moved to one of the metal benches lining the hall. After placing his head in his hands, he resumed conversation with Yukari.

“Ikutsuki didn’t call a debrief yet, did he?”

“He did. Tonight actually, he told Mitsuru-senpai and I when he stopped by with the officer again.”

“He’s back again tonight, huh. Ideally both of them would be here for it, considering it’s about them, after all.”

“Yeah, first it was snooping on them with the cameras, and now they don’t get to learn about what they went though. Makes me feel kinda bad.”

* _ sigh _ * “Well, for what it’s worth, the more we learn about whatever happened, the better. But ultimately, you’re right, pacing back and forth won’t help. Let’s go Yukari.”

* * *

“Anything to report Akihiko?” Ikutsuki asked from his chair in the command room.

“Doctors are keeping them on day-by-day status. But apart from that, they’re stable”

“Well, that is a relief. Makoto-kun had quite an evening. Mitsuru, can you pull up the footage from the event?” 

With the clickety clack of the keyboard, Mitsuru managed to pull up the camera feed of the camera from the front doors. 

After skimming through the garbled footage caused by the fast-forwarding of the tape, Mitsuru played the footage, showing Yukari running off screen, as well as both third years catching each other up on their respective situations. After a solid half minute, the tape showed Kotone waking up from her slumber on the couch. 

“She did end up falling asleep there. I told her to go to her bed too.” Yukari said sadly.

With the footage still playing, it eventually reached the point of her awakening. After seeing both Akihiko and Mitsuru knocked out and Kotone summoning her Persona, Yukari noticed a very key detail about her experience with Makoto on the roof.

“Stop the video! Mitsuru-senpai, can you keep that video there, but pull up the roof camera with me and Makoto-kun. Pause the footage when both of their Personas are on screen.”

“Did you notice something, Yukari?” Ikutsuki perked up from his chair, now intrigued.

With the video from the roof playing on the monitor, the footage arrived at the point when Makoto summoned his Persona. When the being appeared in the air behind Makoto, Mitsuru stopped the footage like instructed.

“Look at their Personas! They look almost identical.” And indeed they did. Apart from their color pattern and shape of the lyre each of them wielded, they did look just like the other.

“Mitsuru, go ahead and play both videos. During first summons, Personas have some kind of speech. It should be audible.” Ikutsuki suggested, with Mitsuru immediately following the order.

As if the clips were edited together, the two clips began to play, and just like Ikutsuki had mentioned, both Personas spoke in their ethereal voices the same words.

“ _ I am Orpheus, master of strings… _ ”

“Th-they’re the same Persona?!” Akihiko yelled, jumping out of his chair.

“Very interesting…” Ikutsuki muttered, now back in his chair, legs crossed and hands clasped in his lap.

“And that’s not where things finished for Makoto either.” Yukari said in a saddened tone.

“There’s more?!” Akihiko continued to yell.

“Akihiko, quiet down! Yukari, I’ll keep the video going.” Mitsuru shouted back before going back to the keyboard.

On the screen, everyone in the room was able to witness what Makoto’s Persona went through, with the appearance of a different Persona from within Orpheus’s body. 

“His Persona changed?!” Mitsuru said, dumbfounded at what she and Akihiko missed that night.

“It seems that way…” Ikutsuki spoke, still in his pondering pose in his chair.

“Well, what happened happened.” Mitsuru spoke to the room, turning towards everyone else in her chair. “We can only do what we have been doing. Once Shiomi and Yuuki return, we can bring them up to speed. I can say for certain that Shiomi will have questions.”

“Indeed Mitsuru. Indeed.” Ikutsuki said under his breath, out of earshot from everyone else. With the conversation seeming to have stopped for the time being, he retrieved a marked manila folder from his briefcase, reading it over in his lap, out of sight from everyone else.

* * *

April 16th 2009

*School chimes ringing*

“Hey Yuka-tan, what happened to Koto-tan and Mako-cchi? I haven’t seen them in like almost two weeks.” Junpei asked Yukari, who was walking past where he and Makoto sat in the classroom on her way back to the dorm.

“Umm, well Kotone-chan has really bad allergies. Puffed up eyes, the works. And Makoto-kun ate some bad food. Puts him out of commission.” Yukari lied, hoping Junpei was gullible enough to believe the claims.

“Really? That ba-”

“Takeba.” Before Junpei could ask a follow-up question, Mitsuru stood at the front door of their classroom, arms crossed.

“Oh crap, it’s the student council president.” “I wonder what she wants with Yukari?” “I wonder why someone like her is here.” Various whispers arose from the students still remaining in the classroom.

With just a brief moment of eye contact between the female dormmates, Yukari stood up, apologizing to Junpei and leaving him by himself again at his desk. “Sorry Junpei, I have to go.”

After a quick walk down to an office by the faculty lounge, the two walked into a very modestly-furnished office room, in which Shuji Ikutsuki sat at the lone chair on the other side of the large mahogany desk.

“Mr. Chairman, what brings you to the school?” Mitsuru asked, sitting down in one of the chairs.

“You have a seat too, Yukari. I have some developments.” Ikutsuki pointed at the other seat in front of his desk signalling Yukari to sit down before continuing.

“As the both of you are very well aware, the events of the 9th were unexpected, for a multitude of reasons.” After seeing both Mitsuru and Yukari nod in agreement, Ikutsuki continued. “I reckon we could use more in terms of membership, so…”

With that, Ikutsuki placed a manila folder open in front of the two, showing the contents of the folder. Within the pile of papers, one sheet sat at the top: a student profile sheet, one that a school administrator would have on record for all students. At the top of the sheet, a student photo was printed on the top left corner, with that student’s name right next to it. The name on this specific form:

_ Nakano, Naoya _

“Really?! Nakano, of all people?!” Mitsuru yelled, now standing up and shuffling through all of the papers.

“Nakano-kun?!” Yukari joined, hunched over the folder.

“Oh, do you know of him?” Ikutsuki asked the two in front of him, curiosity written on his face.

“Wait, you know of him, Yukari?” Mitsuru asked her underclassmen.

“Y-yeah, he’s in the archery club with me.”

“Archery club? With Takashi Ichinoseki? I thought it was an all-female club?” Ikutsuki spouted questions, now sitting forward in his chair.

“It was some expansion thing the school board approved. He shoots an air rifle, and he’s here supposedly on a scholarship.” Yukari explained, before turning to her senpai. “Wait, how do you know him Mitsuru-senpai?”

“He’s in my class. Sits next to me as well.” Mitsuru explained nonchalantly. “Mr. Chairman, you might have met him briefly on Saturday. He dropped off class material for me.”

“The tall one, right? You’re right, the interaction was less than brief.”

“I guess I’ll ask, but how do you know he’s a possible candidate, Ikutsuki-san?” Yukari asked, eyes locked onto him rather than Naoya’s file on his desk.

“It’s only a possibility. Call it a hunch, if you will.” Ikutsuki answered almost immediately, collecting the folder and its contents. “Besides, this is not official S.E.E.S. matters as of yet. That means this conversation does not leave this office unless it is approved. He is not to know of this, understood?”

With a nod from both students, Ikutsuki, satisfied with their answer, stood up, heading for his office door. “That will be all. Have a productive evening you two.”

* * *

April 16-17th 2009

*Dark Hour*

“Akihiko, what’s your status?” Mitsuru asked through the communication.

“Almost done with the patrol route. About two minutes away from the convenience store, and then I’ll start the return route.” Akihiko reported back.

“Seems like everything is back to how it was. No more massive shadows like on the 9th.” Yukari relaxed in her chair, leaning back from the keyboard she was typing on.

“The hour is almost up. Wrap up and come on back.” Mitsuru commanded Akihiko.

* **_Beep Beep_ ** *****

“What is that alarm for?” Leaning back over her workspace, Yukari was immediately back on the computers.

“Is it another one of them?” Ikutsuki asked, head peeking over from his manila folder of Naoya’s information.

“No, it’s another human. And one that isn’t affected by the Dark Hour!” Mitsuru exclaimed, placing a marker at where the blip came from. “Akihiko, there’s someone else out there. Looks like either in or just outside of the convenience store. Can you investigate?”

“Got it, walking up to it now.”

As Akihiko reached the convenience store, nothing really looked out of place, definitely not like there was a person huddled somewhere nearby. Apart from the green nighttime sky and the couple of standing coffins on the sidewalks and in the store, the surroundings look just like another dark hour. 

Peeking into the store itself, there were no visible signs of someone moving within the store, or so he thought. As soon as Akihiko turned around to do an investigative lap around the building, he heard a sniffle come from deep inside the store.

Picking up on the sound of some creature from inside, Akihiko immediately hopped on the communication line back to the rest of the team back in the dorm. “Mitsuru, I think I hear them inside. I’m gonna take a look. How much time do I have?”

“Less than 20 minutes. I’d pick up the pace if you can.”

“Make it quick, got it!”

With electronics not working during this time, the electric sliding doors wouldn’t work either. However, this one had a manual swinging door that was still unlocked. Pushing it open to the lack of a door chime like usual, Akihiko took an initial gaze through the store, seeing a coffin where a cashier would be, as well as a couple more back by the refrigerator holding the soda drinks. 

Trying to pinpoint where the sound originally came from, Akihiko took small, quiet steps around the cashier counter, listening for another sign. After a few minutes of stalking the aisles, he heard a faint thud come from the back by the refrigerators. Immediately turning towards where it came from, he saw the toe of a black sneaker peeking from around the corner of a fridge holding desserts.

Deciding on taking a more casual approach, Akihiko called out to the hiding person. “Yo.”

Before any more words were exchanged between the two, the boy hiding quickly scarpered away, scooting against the wall on his butt. “P-p-please don’t hurt me!!”

Noticing the boy had on a Gekkoukan school uniform, Akihiko tried to get more information out of him, and generally calm him down. “Hey, you’re a Gekkoukan student like me, what year are you? What were you doing when this happened?”

“S-second year, class- 2-F. I just- wanted- some soda, and- the vending machine- at the dorm was- broken.” The boy said in between sobs and short breaths.

Clearly not able to get much information out of the boy in his state, Akihiko joined the second year on the floor, crouching to meet him at his eye level. “Listen, just make sure you get back to your dorm. It’s not far, right? And don’t say anything to anyone about tonight, got it?” After a nod from the boy, Akihiko gave him a hand signal, telling him to go home, which the boy took immediately, running out the door and towards the station.

“Mitsuru, the store is clear. I’m heading back. There was a student here. A second year. I sent him back.” Akihiko told the command room, now leaving the store himself.

“Copy. Any identification of the person?” She asked back.

“No name, just a grade and class. But I still remember his face. Have the Chairman get a file together of everyone in class 2-F. I can find him in the file.”

“2-F? That’s my class!” Yukari yelled, Akihiko wincing at the sudden yell in his ears.

“Anyways, the dark hour is over in a few minutes. Come back to the dorms. We’re done for tonight. Good work Akihiko.” Ikutsuki commended. “And I’ll work on that file for you. We can go over it tomorrow.”

“Got it, heading back now.” 

“ _ Hmm, I wonder who they were… _ ” Yukari mentally trailed off, deep in thought as to which of her classmates also had the potential.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If certain parts of this chapter feels forced or choppy, well, it is... kinda...
> 
> In the actual game, since the protagonists are "asleep" until April 17th in-game, the story had to be written in mostly from scratch. The office scene with Ikutsuki, Mitsuru, and Yukari is based on the scene from the 1st P3 movie, but the date is probably different. And the game just glosses over the fact that Akihiko just randomly finds Junpei in a convenience store. Yeah, no, I'm writing it.
> 
> Ikutsuki's character is probably riding the line between OOC and plot-accurate at certain points. I'm okay with that for now. I might change my mind down the line.
> 
> As always, your interactions with this are greatly appreciated. If you have any feedback, feel free to drop it below.  
> Hopefully, see you all next Saturday for chapter 6. -LTK


	6. The Midnight Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the two from the dorm assault return, the full S.E.E.S. is assembled, and they properly learn about this mysterious 25th hour in which they operate in.

April 17th 2009

“Mr. Chairman, did you need everyone for this meeting today?”

Immediately after classes, the team was called to the dorm to discuss what happened during the night. Well, everyone but Yukari, who was tasked with making the check-up run to the hospital today. Both Akihiko and Mitsuru walked over to the dorm, ready to identify this mysterious person at the convenience store. 

“Not at all, just you two will be plenty.” Ikutsuki addressed the two third years, a friendly smile on his face and yet another manila folder in his hands. “So, shall we identify this student?”

Making their way up to the command room, the room in the natural sunlight peeking through the windows looked like it belonged more at mission control at JAXA rather than in a dormitory building. Regardless, all three went to their locations within it, Mitsuru going to the computers to pull up any data from the night before, while Akihiko and Ikutsuki went to the table in the middle of the room, skimming through the folder for class 2-F.

Before too long, Akihiko suddenly grabbed the pencil he was using to mark the copy of the class roster, circling one face and pushing the paper towards Ikutsuki. “That’s him! Iori _comma_ Junpei!”

“Well that did not take long at all.” Mitsuru quipped from her chair, turning towards the two at the table.

“So what’s the play Mr. Chairman?” Akihiko asked, now having calmed down slightly.

“Well, he has the potential. He was fine during the dark hour. Frightened, sure, but not transmogrified.” He sat, deep in thought before scribbling something in his notepad he kept in his jacket pocket. “I’ll start arranging his transfer paperwork so he can live here, and join S.E.E.S. of course. It is an official school club after all.”

“Now that this matter has been dealt with, was this all we had to do today?” Mitsuru asked, now standing at the table in between Ikutsuki and Akihiko.

“Not at the moment, Once Yukari reports on the status of our incapasitated second years, that will dictate what we do tonight. For now, go ahead and take a break, get ahead on homework.”

* * *

Back in the bleak and sterile hallways of the hospital, this time with no Akihiko to get into an argument with, Yukari walked out of the elevator on the floor with Makoto and Kotone, mentally preparing herself to receive no significant updates. Sitting on the bench by their room, she sat down for a couple hours of relaxation and depressing isolation, and a possible power nap.

After almost an hour, Yukari did indeed succumb to the temptress that was a power nap. Laying down on the padded bench seats, she dozed off into a light nap, unaware of the look she received from the nurse who had just walked out of the room with Makoto and Kotone.

A few minutes after the nurse exited the hospital room, the sliding door opened again, this time making a squeaking noise, pulling Yukari from her sleep. When she opened her eyes, she was not ready to see who was standing in front of her.

Still in her hospital garb, a certain Kotone Shiomi stood, a small smirk on her face. “And you were telling me to go to bed on time. You do realize it’s not even 4pm yet, right?”

Fuelled by a mixture of emotions, Yukari jumped up from the bench, almost headbutting Kotone in the process before wrapping her classmate in the biggest hug she could give, tears threatening to burst out from her eyes.

“Oof! Yukari! Body still hurts…” Kotone tried to say, slapping Yukari’s back to try and ease up the pressure.

“S-sorry!” She stammered, letting Kotone go from the hug and instead grabbing her shoulders. “You’re finally awake! Do you know how long you’ve been asle-”

“Like a week and a bit right?” Kotone interrupted, before continuing. “Come on in, you’ll get yelled at for talking this loud in the halls.”

“ _Won’t be the first time._ ” Yukari thought, following Kotone into the hospital room. It was then that she noticed the room had space for two patients, each with their own half of the room, hospital bed, and partition to keep some privacy. On the right, the partition was drawn back, with the bed in a raised position, allowing whoever was in it to sit up in relative comfort. On the other side, the curtain was still drawn, hiding whoever was behind it from any prying eyes.

“Makoto-kun is still there, don’t worry. I would be quiet though, he’s still out.” Kotone suggested, getting back into the hospital bed. “But I’m sure he wouldn't mind if we kept talking.”

With a heavy pout, Yukari marched over to Kotone’s bedside, giving her a piece of her mind in the most unconvincing angry tone possible. “Y-you! I told you you shouldn’t try so hard on homework. You wouldn’t have ended up here, y-y-you tryhard!”

*snort* “Hahahaha! Yukari, stop. It hurts to laugh!” Kotone chuckled in her bed, clutching at her ribs, clearly not taking Yukari very seriously.

Seeing her laughing and taking the comment in good spirits, Yukari loosened up, joining Kotone with a small chuckle, before continuing. “But in all seriousness, it is so good to see you awake again. I was getting so worried about you. And Makoto-kun too.”

Having recovered from the outburst, Kotone sat back in her raised bed, turning towards Yukari. “Well, for what it’s worth, what happened happened, And I guess I’m involved in whatever is going on at the dorms now, huh?”

“Well, yeah. Ikutsuki-san said he would try and explain as much as he could when you were good enough to come back to the dorms.”

“Well, Mr. Pun-lord better be ready for all of my questions then!”

After Kotone’s little exclamation, there was some quiet shuffling coming from behind the curtain on the other side. After a few moments, in which Kotone and Yukari shared a curious glance between each other and the curtain, some mumbling, the remnants of words coming from the same location.

“Unngh… Wow my body hurts…”

Before any nurse or medical professional could check up on him, both Kotone and Yukari ran over to the other side of the room, ripping the curtain back to show a groggy but awake Makoto, also in his hospital garb.

“Oh. Um, hi guys…” Makoto gingerly spoke up, attention now going towards the two second years who just suddenly appeared.

“Heh. Mornin’ Makoto-kun.” Kotone smiled.

“About time you woke up, you… you sleepyhead!” Yukari jokingly yeled.

With the mood significantly lightened with the awakening of Makoto, everyone in the room shared a sigh and a light-hearted laugh. Before too long, the mood of the room settled down, and Yukari found a chair in between the two injured students, while Kotone returned to her hospital bed. 

Almost immediately after the room settled down, the door slid open, showing a doctor with a clipboard and stethoscope as well as a small smile on his face. 

“Ah, I see you woke up as well Yuuki-kun.” He spoke, fully walking into the room and closing the door behind him. “I’m just here to do some routine check-ups to see when you will be discharged from the hospital here.”

After a few minutes of routine exams, the doctor seemingly pleased with his findings, scribbled quickly on his clipboard, before pulling up his glasses on his head and turned towards Yukari.

“Shuji told me someone from their dorm would be over today. Would that be you?”

“Y-yes sir. My name is Yukari Takeba, I’m also their classmate.” 

“Perfect. I can give you the rundown of what is going to happen with these two.” He spoke to Yukari, rolling a stool over to her and sitting on it. “Both of them are fine to leave.”

The two in their respective hospital beds lit up, hearing their freedom from the confines of the hospital was imminent. Their faces would drop almost immediately as soon as the doctor continued.

“However, because of the nature of their injuries, I’ll be making sure Shuji sends me updates over the next couple of days.”

“Okay, I understand.” Yukari responded, right as the two in bed relaxed once again. 

“What will happen is both will be fine if they don’t push themselves for a couple of days or so, so no whatever you two were doing to end up here.” The doctor gave glances towards everyone in the room, each responding differently. While Yukari just nodded, Kotone whistled and looked around the room, feigning knowledge, and Makoto just looked into nothingness. 

“Anyways,” The doctor continued. “Takeba-chan, if you want to stick around for a little while longer, the release paperwork is going to take a bit longer. Once everything is cleared, I’ll let you all know and you can get back to your dorm rooms.”

After the doctor finished his spiel, everyone gave their thanks to the doctor who had treated them as he walked out of the room, leaving the three second-year students alone once again.

“Well, I bet you two want to know what happened to you two.” Yukari started the conversation. Once she got nods from the other two, she continued. “I would get your questions ready. I’m sure Mr. Chairman would be more than willing to answer your questions.”

“Good.” Makoto simply responded.

“He better be ready. That pun lord is gonna get a piece of my mind!” Kotone added, waving a clenched fist in the air.

“Heh. Good to have you two back.”

* * *

During the hours after sunset, the upperclassmen, as well as Ikutsuki sat around the common area, waiting for any update from Yukari, who had yet to return from her hospital visit.

“Has anyone heard back from Yukari yet? It’s been almost four hours since she left.” Akihiko asked the group, looking bored while slouching on one end of the couch.

“Nothing as of yet, although I did receive a phone call from the hospital earlier. News is sounding good.” Ikutsuki spoke happily, sipping from a cup of tea in his single arm chair, facing the door.

Before the conversation could continue further, Mitsuru heard the sound of a car door close outside. After a few moments, a distinctive female sounding voice could be heard on the other side of the newly-fitted doors. “Wow, they did a good job. Definitely doesn’t look like I blasted the doors off last time I was here. Heh.”

“That is Shiomi’s voice, correct?” Mitsuru asked with a peaked interest, eyes locked on the door.

“Ah. Looks like they have returned.” Ikutsuki stood up, placing his teacup on its saucer.

As the double doors opened, everyone’s eyes all turned towards each other, the upperclassmen shocked seeing both Kotone and Makoto in the doorway. At the other end, Makoto still kept his deadpan face, while Kotone had a face of bewilderment, looking down at the carpet upon which she stood.

“Wow! Even the carpet looks perfectly fine. Definitely can’t tell it was on fire at one point.”

“Welcome back, you two.” Akihiko said, still sitting in his half of the sofa, seemingly more relaxed than moments prior.

“At least we have doors that close and lock again.”Yuklari nodded, closing the doors behind the group that had just walked in.

“Well, now that everyone has returned, how about we take this conversation upstairs. We can have the formal debrief at last. Plus, I’m sure you two have many questions for me.” Ikutsuki spoke towards the two returnees, now grabbing his tea and indicating towards the stairs.

“Understatement of the century.” Kotone mumbled under her breath, making her way towards the stairs behind Ikutsuki.

“Psh, no kidding.” Makoto agreed, following close behind.

Heading up the stairs, Makoto couldn’t help take a moment and look at all of the important landmarks he saw on that fateful night: the blocked stairwell, the 2nd floor window in the stairwell, the vending machine where Yukari pulled out a sword, and the countless steps he and Yukari climbed leading to the roof where he eventually ended the night, passed out on the roof. Noticing that he was slowly falling back, Kotone slowed her pace, eventually ending up walking right next to Makoto.

“Hey, you doing okay?”

“I think so… Just taking in everything that I saw then, you know? Nothing made sense then, and I’m thinking not much will be cleared up after this meeting either.”

“I mean, I kind of agree, but at least having people that are like us should help.” Kotone sympathised, nudging his shoulder. “At least us two and Yukari will be with each other though… we can keep tabs on each other. Sound good?”

Shoulders visibly relaxing, Makoto nodded, putting a smile on Kotone’s face before the group reached the fourth floor.

At the landing, Makoto saw to his right the same stel door that he and Yukari ran through. But he also noticed something he completely missed before: another set of wooden double doors around the corner on the left. Curiosity written on his face, he saw that Mitsuru opened the doors without hesitation and walked in. With no words shared between anyone of the group, everyone filed into the mysterious room. 

What Kotone and Makoto saw was something neither of them expected, They saw the countless monitors and control panels, desks strewn with graphs and folders, as well as another set of sofa and coffee table, identical to the set in the common area downstairs. Confusion, amasement, bewilderment, unease, fear, curiosity. All of these emotions could be seen on both of the transfers as they walked in, taking in the sights of this room.

Getting everyone together to start the meeting, Ikutsuki walked over to the central table and seating, with a tray and several cup and saucer sets in hand, setting them in front of each seat for everyone in the group. “Well, now that everyone is here, why don’t we get things started. Please have a seat.”

Slowly, everyone found a seat around the table, apart from Mitsuru, who wheeled over one of the computer chairs by the console table.

“So, let’s start with this.” Ikutsuki started. “How would you react if I told you that there are more than 24 hours in a day?

“Well, I mean we lived though whatever that green time was so I’d say yeah, there’s more than 24.” Kotone quipped.

“Very observant, Kotone.” Ikutsuki nodded, acknowledging the quick response.

“We call it the Dark Hour. Happens every day at midnight. The sky turns green, electricity stops working, people turn into coffins.” Akihiko spoke up. 

“That explains the night I moved in.” Makoto said quietly from his seat.

“Yeah. Back then, you were just some kid, so we had to keep what you saw under wraps. Sorry for lying and suppressing you.” Yukari apologised sadly, looking straight at Makoto.

“Wait.” Kotone interrupted. “If people turn into coffins, why don’t we?”

“That is because of this.” Mitsuru pulled up two videos on the main monitor: the two videos from their awakening on the 9th. “You possess an ability to counter the Dark Hour, no, more like fight within it.”

On the screen, footage from their first battle using their Personas started to play. As soon as the two fired their evokers, Ikutsuki signalled Mitsuru to stop the footage.

“Normal people do not possess this power, that is why they turn into standing coffins. People that possess this power we deem them to have the potential. That is until they actually make use of this ability: the ability to summon and control a Persona. Are you familiar with Jungian psychology?”

After a shake of the head from the two, Ikutsuki continued his lecture. “Carl Jung theorised that any individual will have a face that is seen by others, while keeping their true nature hidden. A persona. This is what you see on screen: your true self. And this is what you used to fight that spider-like creature. We call them shadows. Any questions so far?”

“So let me get this straight.” Makoto spoke up, now in a more determined voice. “We have this power to battle these creatures called shadows with these manifestations of our true selves.”

“And to summon these combat beings, we need to shoot ourselves with those weird gun things, right?” Kotone added, sitting forward in her seat.

“Correct you two.” Mitsuru concurred, turning around in her chair. “Those creatures, the shadows, attack anyone not in the coffins. That is why we assemble every night.”

“And to anyone in the coffins, they’ll be perfectly fine?” Kotone continued, confusion now on her eyebrows.

“Right. Shadows feed on the mind of those who don’t end up in coffins. End up as walking corpses. You hear about those Apathy Syndrome cases on the news? Shadows cause them.” Akihiko explained further, shaking his head.

“So because this is a special power, and I’m assuming that the police don’t have this power, we have to protect everyone.” Makoto caught on, understanding the full situation.

“Indeed.” Ikutsuki nodded, now standing up at the head of the table. “Long story short, we’re the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad--S.E.E.S. for short. On paper, we are a plain extracurricular club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating shadows. Mitsuru over there is our leader, kind of like a club president, while I’m the club faculty advisor.”

“ _That explains why she was shouting orders that night._ ” Kotone thought internally, now understanding the situation a little more.

“ _How did this guy end up as the club advisor?_ ” Makoto thought, uncertainty in his internal voice.

“Anyways, we need to address the elephant in the room. We want you two to join us.” Mitsuru spoke up with authority in her voice, walking over to the table with a silver briefcase in hand. Once placed on the table in front of the two and opened, it revealed two of the evoker pistols with their holsters, as well as the red S.E.E.S. armband. 

“What we’re trying to say is…” Yukari stepped in, giving Mitsuru a look that screamed ‘have some tact’ before continuing with the offer. “It would be nice if you could join us and lend us your power. Fight alongside us and protect Iwatodai from these shadows. You’ve seen firsthand the extent of what they’re capable of.”

What followed was a prolonged moment of silence, where the S.E.E.S. members looked over at the transfers with hope, while the transfers looked at each other. During their time of eye contact, a non-verbal conversation was happening, Makoto remembering the promise Kotone gave him on the walk up to the command room. Sharing a nod, the two turned towards the room, both giving their verdict at the same time.

“We’ll do it!”

“Phew. You two had me worried. Welcome to the team.” Yukari exclaimed, relief washing over her face.

“Wonderful.” Ikutsuki clapped his hands together, a smile on his face. “I’ll start on the paperwork immediately. And might as well get the housing situation sorted too. I don’t know why your dorm assignments were taking a long time, but since you will be joining us, why don’t you stay here?”

“Sounds good to me!” Kotone agreed, holding her own evoker in her hands.

“Good here.” Makoto spoke simply, trying on the armband.

“Thank you, you two. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.” Mitsuru eased up, welcoming the new team members. 

“Might as well get the formal introductions out of the way.” Akihiko sat back down, but with his attention towards the second couch. “I’m Akihiko Sanada, third year and captain of the boxing team.

“Mitsuru Kirijo. Third year, team leader, longest serving member, and student council president.” She introduced herself very formally, fitting of the class president title.

“And I’m Yukari Takeba, but you already knew that. Newest member of S.E.E.S. and archery club member.” She finished sheepishly.

“Looking forward to working with you all.” Makoto stood up to bow, hip holster and armband attached.

“We will be in your care.” Kotone followed, having her leg holster and armband donned.

* * *

The night of returning to the dorms, Makoto would find himself in a tumultuous sleep for the better part of the night. Once he did settle down and fall into that deep sleep everyone seeks when they go to bed, Makoto was unfortunately awoken, or was he?

When he “came to”, he awoke in an environment he’d seen once before. The one thing to describe this location: blue. Taking in the finer details, this was the same blue, curtained and furnished elevator in perpetual upward motion. 

“Welcome back, it is nice to see you again.” He heard the distinct voice of Igor speaking to him. ”You have finally begun your journey. The power you possess, you have been informed of, however, it may take some time to comprehend and refine. In your current state, your power is still weak.”

Now facing the table at which Igor sat behind, Makoto took to heart what Igor had just told him, and responded, deadpan “Whaddaya mean ‘weak’?”

“You have yet to get experience wielding your special talent. When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. The ability evolves as you develop your emotional ties with those around you--your social links--if you will. The stronger your links, the more powerful your ability.”

“So, grow my relationship with people and I become stronger?” Makoto asked, showing the slightest bit of curiosity, sitting forward in his chair.

“That is correct. Please remember that. Now, then… Time marches on in your world. I shan’t keep you any longer. Next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord.”

As Makoto’s vision began to darken, a faint alarm clock sound could be heard, volume growing by the second. Right as his vision completely blacked out, Igor spoke his final words for the interaction. “Until then… Farewell.”

When Makoto awoke in the real world, the alarm clock on his bedside table was indeed ringing, blaring that stereotypical electronic beep sound. Rolling over in his bed to slam the snooze button, he saw the sun shining through the curtain, and heard footsteps in the hallway, growing in volume until it suddenly stopped. Moments later, he heard three knocks at his door.

“Hey Makoto-kun, are you awake?” Kotone asked from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, I’m not dressed though.”

“That’s fine, you still have time before we have to go, and I'm not coming in. Yukari had something to do before class, so it’s just us this morning. I’ll be downstairs waiting for ya.” She spoke in her energy-filled cheerful tone, walking away from the door and towards the living area.

“ _Well, it looks like back to school again… I need an excuse for Junpei… I bet he’s going to ask about me missing class today._ ” Makoto thought as he got out of bed, begrudgingly getting ready for the day.

* * *

April 18th 2009

*school chimes ringing*

“Okay class, make sure you get that paper assignment to me for Monday. Have a good weekend.” A cheerful-sounding Ms. Toriumi told her class, before walking over to her desk.

“So…” Junpei turned facing Makoto in the desk next to him, slapping the closest shoulder he could grab. “Now that you’re feelin’ better, I was thinking of going to that arcade in the strip mall. Wanna come? I’ll pay for the first game.”

“Ow ow ow… Still sore.” Makoto pulled away, now rubbing at his shoulder.

“Junpei!” Yukari yelled at him, walking over from her desk with purpose in her stride. “I swear we’ve had this conversation before. He just got back from being sick. Shouldn’t you wind the physical contact down a notch or two?”

“Fine, fine. Sorry bud.”Junpei apologized, both hands in the air at the surrender position.

“How are you holding up, Makoto-kun? I know Kotone-chan wasn’t feeling all that great after lunch.” Yukari reported, having gone to their own lunch locations.

“Not terribly, just tired I guess.” He responded with no enthusiasm.

“Gee Yuka-tan, you’re really looking after them, huh?” Junpei commented, a smirk slowly creeping up on his face.

All Yukari could do was blush before someone else’s voice caught the attention of the three.

“Makoto-kun, Shiomi-chan, can I talk to you two for a minute, please?” Ms. Toriumi announced from her podium.

“Sorry guys.” Makoto stood up, leaving the two to their own devices.

“Eh they’re probably gonna be a while huh? I’m gonna go on ahead. Tell Makoto to stop on by if he wants.” Junpei stood up to leave, a strange pep in his step.

“How can I help you, Ms. Toriumi?” Kotone had just asked right as Makoto reached the podium.

“Well first off, welcome back you two.” She greeted with a happy smile, before opening a binder to show the two students standing in front of her. “Since you two were gone for a while, you have coursework you need to catch up on. Unfortunately, I don’t really have the resources to create little hand out lectures for each of you.”

Fearing what she was about to say, Kotone and Makoto shared looks of horror and defeat, both knowing they were going to have to work overtime on both extracurriculars, as well as keeping up with studies. What they were not expecting was Ms. Toriumi chuckling at their supposed demise.

“Relax you two, I’m not going to throw you a stack of worksheets to struggle through. Well, I guess I technically am. But, starting Monday, I’m going to be assigning you two to a peer mentor. Think of it like an on-demand tutoring deal. Does that sound okay?”

“I mean that isn’t the worst possible thing. I wouldn’t be opposed to trying.” Makoto verbally thought, hand on her chin in thought.

“I’m not opposed.” Makoto agreed.

“Perfect!” Ms. Toriumi exclaimed with a clap of the hands. “Tutoring sessions start next week Monday. Make sure to go to the library after classes, and tell the person behind the counter your names and that you’re there for the peer mentoring session. They’ll point out your tutor and everything else you need to know.”

“Erm, Ms. Toriumi. When do you expect these to be done?” Makoto asked.

“Well, I’ll collect them whenever you finish them, but a long-term due date… Let’s make it before midterms, mid May-ish?” She responded, flipping through her planner to the week with a pen in hand.

“Works for me.” Makoto nodded.

“We’ll get it done.” Kotone added with a thumbs-up.

“Good. You two are good to go. Have a good weekend you two!” Ms. Toriumi waved off the returning students as they headed out of the classroom, meeting up with Yukari in the halls.

* * *

After their first full day back, understandably both Kotone and Makoto were exhausted. This was definitely not helped by the large envelope full of worksheets that Ms. Toriumi had organized for all of the absences the two already had. Looking ver the vast homework they had left to do, they decided to take advantage of some of the tablespaces in the stairwell landings to work on homework instead of the among the hustle and bustle of the first floor living room area. 

“I really hope that tutor that Ms. Ounishi has lined up can help us.” Kotone said saddle, head hanging in her hands.

“Can’t be too bad, right? It’s just the first couple weeks of class.” Makoto tried to cheer her up, but severely lacking in the emotional support department.

“I mean you’re not wrong. Just…” She leant back in her seat before looking towards Makoto and continuing. “I just wonder why that happened to us when it did? We were just normal transfer students, and now, I feel like we can’t really go back to that you know?”

Sympathetically, Makoto nodded, followed by a prolonged period of quietness, the two of them really taking in what situation they found themselves in now.

After a few moments of reflection between the two, they heard footsteps coming up the stairs, with Yukari eventually reaching the landing where they were at. “Hey, Mitsuru-senpai wants everyone downstairs.”

“Alright,let us pack up really quick.” Kotone answered, immediately packing up the envelope full of worksheets, with Makoto following close behind.

Walking downstairs, the three second years saw both Mitsuru and Akihiko standing in the area by the front doors, waiting for the rest.

“Okay, they’re here. So what’s this about?” Yukari asked her upperclassmen.

“There’s someone I want to introduce.” Akihiko replied, turning towards the door. “Come on, hurry up.”

“Hold your horses… This is freakin’ heavy.” A slightly nasal-sounding voice struggled from the other side of the door.

Recognizing the stranger’s voice, Makoto visibly tensed up, although the reaction unnoticed by almost everyone.

A curious Yukari looked over, confused at Makoto’s reaction. However that confusion would immediately be cleared up after seeing the mystery person walk through the doors, pushing a large suitcase.

“He’ll be staying here as of today. This is-” Mitsuru tried to introduce the new student, before being interrupted by a scream from Yukari.

“J-Junpei! ...Why is HE here?!”

*chuckle* Wazzup?” Junpei sheepishly waved.

“He’s staying here now?” Kotone asked curiously.

“He was the one we found at the convenience store. He has the potential, but still needs to awaken properly… Me and the Chairman told him about us, and he’s agreed to help.” Akihiko explained to the group.

“Yeah, he found me cryin’ at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. T don’t remember much, but… man that was embarrassing!” Junpei went further, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “The suit guy said that it was completely normal, the way I was actin’ ya know?”

“Uh huh.” Kotone answered nonchalantly, taking a page out of Makoto’s book.

“Sure.” Makoto added, deadpan.

“...But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys. I had no idea, especially who was in it. I bet you’re stoked havin’ me join, right?!” Junpei kept on rambling, before asking his classmates.

“Huh? Uh, y-yeah…” Yukari trailed off.

Before either Kotone or Makoto could answer, Akihiko interrupted, turning towards Junpei and his luggage. “Well, enough with the introductions. Take your stuff upstairs.” As Junpei started to push his suitcase again, Akihiko asked Mitsuru standing next to him “What do you think about going to that place soon?”

Overhearing the question, Yukari added her own to the conversation. “You mean… Tartarus…?”

“Tartarus? What’s that? Sounds like toothpaste…” Junpei called out from the foot of the stairs, clearly having heard the conversation at hand.

“Yes Tartarus. We believe that the reason for the Dark Hour is hidden there.” Mitsuru explained.

“I hope so…” Yukari trailed off yet again.

“Wooow… Sounds hardcore.” Kotone quipped.

“We can get the details from the Chairman tomorrow when he arrives, so just settle in and get ready.” Akihiko announced, before going to the stairs, grabbing Junpei’s suitcase. “Come on, I’ll show you your room.”

* * *

April 19th 2009

“Okay everyone, ready to head out?” Ikutsuki asked the group in the command room, all donning their S.E.E.S. armband and evokers.

“Equipment check is all clear.” Mitsuru reported formally.

“Okay, everybody is ready, so I’d like your undivided attention.” Ikutsuki announced, now sounding serious as he stood up, walking to the monitors. “For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But, now that number has significantly increased to 6. Therefore…” Clicking a few buttons, an image of a tall structure appeared on the main monitor. “Starting tonight at 12:00AM, I’d like to commence the exploration of Tartarus.”

“Sorry… I asked this yesterday, but what is this Tartarus thing again?” Junpei asked, confusion on his face.

“This tower. It’s no surprise, since it only appears during the Dark Hour.”

“The Dark Hour…?”

*sigh* “Come on, Junpei, we’ve gone over this already…” Yukari jabbed, annoyance in her voice.

“It’s just like the Shadows… It’s like their nest. Plus, it’ll be the perfect place for us to train.

“Woah…” Junpei reacted in amazement, drawing an eye roll from Makoto.

“Well, because I can’t summon a Persona, I won’t be going along with you all. Mitsuru, I will leave you in charge of operations tonight.” Ikutsuki said, slightly saddened but not too bothered by it.

“Understood Mr. Chairman. Let’s move!” Mitsuru ordered, as the group slowly filed out the command room.

After a while spent walking, the group eventually reached their destination: the front gates of Gekkoukan High School.

“This is Tartarus, the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour.” Mitsuru announced, a hand pointing in the direction of the school building.

“...But that’s just the school.” Junpei asked.

“Five… Four… Three...Two… One…” Akihiko counted down, looking at a watch on his wrist.

Right as Akihiko finished counting down, the sky turned that typical green color, as well as the ground beginning to shake. In a few moments, where the school building once stood, emerged a tall haunted-looking clock tower, standing proudly in the green night sky of the Dark Hour.

“I’m going to guess that THAT is Tartarus…” Kotone said, pointing at the newly revealed clock tower.

“What happened to our school?!” Junpei yelled, everyone standing around him wincing at the yell in their ears.

“Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal.” Mitsuru explained to the group. 

“But why’d our school turn into a giant tower?!” Junpei asked again, still yelling.

“Volume.” Makoto told him off, annoyance in his voice.

With no one really looking like they were going to answer, Yukari interjected, trying to hurry the group along. “I-I’m sure it’s complicated.”

“Well, maybe now we’ll find out ourselves. Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it.” Akihiko rallied the group, walking towards the tower with everyone behind him.

On their walk over to the foot of the tower, the group was able to really take in the enormity of the task in front of them. This clock tower, seemingly going up to the infinite expanse of the green night sky, everyone was experiencing some form of nervousness within them. Finally reaching the lobby equivalent of the tower, the group took in everything about this large room at the base of this mysterious tower. One large staircase led upwards from the middle of this circular room.

“Whoa… It’s just as cool on the inside…” Junpei said in amazement, volume finally gone down from earlier. 

“But it sure is creepy…” Yukari shivered, keeping to herself.

“That staircase sure is gaudy though…” Kotone added.

Makoto, not having said much, just stared off in the distance, attention drawn to something.

“This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs.” Mitsuru explained, getting everyone’s attention back to the task.

“First, we’ll have the four of you go in, get a feel for this place. Us two will follow you in a little ways behind.” Akihiko strategized, getting the group moving. 

“What?! By ourselves?!” Yukari yelled, shocked at what her senpais just told her.

“It’ll just be the first floor. We need you four to get comfortable summoning your Personas and going into combat with them.” Mitsuru further explained, trying to defuse the situation.

“Plus we’ll be right behind you in case something does go wrong. We’re also going to choose a temporary leader to make any decisions” Akihiko added, trying to set his underclassmen at ease.

“For real? ...One of us? Oh! Oh! Me me me!” Junpei explained, excitedly jumping in place.

“...You’re in charge.” Akihiko announced, pointing towards Makoto.

“W-wait! Why him?! He doesn’t even look like a leader!” Junpei shouted, not believing what he was just told.

“Come on Junpei, it’s not that big of a deal.” Kotone tried to calm him down, before the situation got out of hand.

“Out of us four, him and Kotone are the only ones that actually fought shadows before…” Yukari added further, drawing a further shocked and betrayed expression from Junpei.

“Seriously?!”

“That is true.” Mitsuru agreed, messing with some device on the ground.

“But there’s another reason.” Akihiko walked up towards Yukari and Junpei, evoker in hand and pointed at his head. “Can either of you summon your Persona without difficulties, like they can?”

“I think so…” Yukari replied, not much conviction in her voice.

“Y-yeah, of course I can!” Junpei agreed, also lacking in conviction.

“Fine, then get going. We’ll keep in touch from here until we head in after you.” Akihiko ordered the underclassmen, who had begun their ascent of the clock tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot point: when the two protagonists wake up in-game, Yukari usually is there bedside with a heartfelt spiel about how she snooped in their record and tells protag-kun/chan about her past. This will be incorporated later in a more appropriate time. Since the way I've been writing Ikutsuki as a more secretive person doesn't fit with Yukari having easy access to their backgrounds, as well as having both protagonists in the scene, I've modified this scene heavily.
> 
> The Midnight Tower = Turri Nocturnis  
> Just translated straight into Latin. I originally thought of translating it into Greek and take the phonetic spelling, because Greek mythology plays such a strong part in everything about this game's plot elements... That idea was dropped almost immediately. I like how the Latin language sounds, so that was what I went with.
> 
> As always, your feedback and interaction is greatly appreciated.  
> Next chapter should include some major plot points, so hopefully I'll see you back next Saturday.
> 
> ***  
> Okay, time to get real for a second. Recently, the Persona fandom has been really getting on my nerves. More than likely, Twitter is the main problem area, but it shouldn't be treated as the scapegoat. People should be able to enjoy what they enjoy, especially if it is a video game. No one deserves to be bullied over what game they like in the series, or what character they like. No one deserves to go through a panic attack because of what strangers are telling them on social media and no one especially deserves to go to the extents of self harm because of the comments they're getting. If there's differing opinions, don't shut them down because of it. Someone doesn't like the same character as you, that's fine; don't chastise someone over it. You feel like you have to say something negative about someone's thoughts and opinions, just close the tab and walk away. Video games should be something that people enjoy however they want, and it should stay that way; people shouldn't be turned off from it because of certain strong-mouthed so-called "fans"... But that's just my two cents on the situation.  
> Going to quote one of my favorite youtubers Josh Revell to finish this week's entry. "Keep it respectful, be wholesome, don't be a manus (idiot)".  
> -LTK


	7. Crossing Paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team experience their first foray into the labyrinth. Naoya competes for the first time as a Gekkoukan student.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy March 5th, or unofficial P3 Protagonist day! ...maybe happy isn't the right word, but you get what I meant. Sorry this chapter wasn't a Protag-kun/chan-centric one, but since it's a special day, early upload!

Dark Hour, April 19 2009

As the four reached the top of the stairs, they were in and amongst the dark corridors of the labyrinth that was called Tartarus. Seeing the long linear corridors that looked like led to a dark unknown, paired with the sounds of deep groaning and the subtle draft whistling in the corridors, the team were unnerved, some more than others. 

“Man, this place is creepy…” Yukari shuddered, grip on her bow tightening.

“So this is it, huh…?” Junpei muttered, looking around curiously at the hallways of Tartarus.

“Can you all hear me?” Mitsuru spoke over… well some form of communication line to the team.

“Senpai? How are you talking to us? I don’t remember putting in an earpiece or anything like that.” Kotone asked into seemingly nothing, unsure of what was now going on.

“I’ll be providing audio backup from here on out. I’m staged at the stairs should something go wrong for assistance.” Mitsuru spoke again to the team.

“Can you see inside here, senpai?” Makoto now asked, everyone asking questions at this point.

“Yes, it’s my Persona’s ability. I’d like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes from day to day. That's why outside support is imperative.” Mitsuru explained.

“That’s pretty neat.” Kotone quipped, slowly swinging her naginata polearm around to pass the time.

“Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any time.” Mitsuru entered commander mode on the comms. “They shouldn’t be too tough, but proceed with caution. Remember, these battles you are engaging in are real.”

As Mitsuru was explaining the night’s plans, a masked blob moved into view of the group, slowly moving towards them. The team, seeing this creature pick up speed towards them, grabbed their weapons in their ready position, spreading out in the hallway and preparing for their first combat.

“Engage! Attack with your weapon or your Personas, whatever you feel is right.” Mitsuru barked at her team.

Jumping forward with his sword, Makoto ran towards the shadow, swinging his sword out at it and leaving a large gash along its side. Skidding on his feet as he ran past and turning around, Kotone lunged forward with her polearm, plunging the tip in the mask.

As the shadow screeched in pain, the two transfer students jumped back from it, leaving space for the others to attack. With the opening created, Makoto pulled out his evoker, firing it against his head. Once his version of Orpheus was summoned, it threw a fireball at it, dissolving into a clump of black ichor, killing it. 

After the two shared a look and a silent “good job” between each other, everyone relaxed their weapons, everyone apart from Junpei, who was now more agitated than before.

“Showoff.” He muttered angrily, before being interrupted by Mitsuru.

“Good work you two. Iori and Takeba, you’re on the next one.” 

Before long, another shadow crept towards them. Weapons at the ready, Makoto and Kotone moved out of the way so Junpei and Yukari could take point against it. Hesitantly, the two walked towards it, Yukari drawing her bow preparing to take advantage of her ranged attacks.

After she sent the arrow towards the shadow, it immediately burst towards the two, picking up speed. Seeing that the arrow missed, Yukari immediately grabbed her evoker and pointed it at her head. However, she was still nervous about firing what was essentially a gun to her head, as shown by it shaking in her hands. Right before it reached Yukari, she pulled the trigger with a scream, eyes pressed tightly closed as she did so.

“Io!!”.

With the glass breaking sound, her Persona, a female riding atop a bull’s skull, appeared behind her, immediately sending a small vortex of wind towards the shadow, pushing it away. With it being flung off balance, Junpei held his sword in an odd baseball-bat-like grip, leaving a massive gash in its back, as well as flinging it back towards Yukari at high speed.

Seeing this blob flying at a significant speed towards her, Yukari hit the deck with a sudden yelp, ducking under the shadow that flew over her head. Turning towards Junpei to chastise him, she heard the distinct sound of metal cutting into a mass behind her. Now standing up, she saw Kotone, standing with her polearm out, and the shadow impaled on it, dissipating into a cloud of ichor that dripped onto the ground below the point.

“Junpei! Watch where you hit the shadows!” Yukari yelled, now anger taking over as the primary emotion.

“Hey, I got it, didn’t I?” He responded sheepishly, but somewhat proud of his battle.

“Technically I did, but whatever floats your boat Junpei.” Kotone added, swinging her polearm to remove any ichor that remained on the point.

“It seems like you’re getting the hang of it. Go ahead and fight whatever you come across on that floor for now. I’ll let you know when it’s time to regroup at the lobby.” Mitsuru interjected, giving the team free reign to continue fighting as they deemed fit.

After numerous battles on the first floor or Tartarus, Mitsuru was on the comms again to check in with the group. “How are things?”

“Pretty good, senpai.” Makoto reported promptly.

“Well, that’s good, but the Dark Hour is almost over. Regroup and head back to the stairs. Once you regroup with everyone, I can guide you back to the stairs.”

“Got it, Mitsuru-senpai.” Yukari responded, with Makoto following in tow.

Once everybody met up in one of the open intersections of the labyrinth, Mitsuru gave the group directions back to the entrance of Tartarus. Taking just a few minutes, the group walked down the stairs, somewhat tired from all of the fighting they had done in the last hour.

“Welcome back.” Mitsuru greeted the team upon their arrival at the foot of the stairs.

“How did it go?” Akihiko asked, arms crossed in curiosity.

“Well, no one got hurt, and everyone summoned their personas at least once, although I don’t know the exact number. We did break apart at one point.” Makoto reported.

“Good to hear. We can go over this again tomorrow. For now, Dark Hour is almost up, so we need to get out of here. Good work.” Akihiko commended, leading the group back to the dormitory for the night.

* * *

April 20th 2009

*school bells ringing*

“Okay class, good work today. Make sure you get a start on that paper assignment. The outline is due Wednesday.”

With a scattered, but collective groan coming from the students in class 2-F, everyone prepared to go to their clubs or go home for the day. Everyone but Kotone and Makoto, who were assigned supplementary help for coursework they missed during their absence. With the rush of students leaving, the two transfers left together, heading for the library as instructed by Ms. Toriumi before the weekend.

Walking down the hallways and looking at the door signs like on the first day, eventually the two were able to find the sliding doors leading to the large library the school had on campus. Wanting to show a good first impression and not be late, they walked without any further delays, and headed to the receptionists seated behind the large circular desk in the middle.

“Excuse me?” Kotone shyly spoke up to one of the receptionists. “We’re here for the peer mentoring thingy.”

“Lovely, you’re at the right spot. Could I get your names please?” The librarian asked with a smile and a quiet clap of her hands.

After giving her their names, one of the students from behind the counter walked over with a clipboard in hand. “If you would follow me, I’ll lead you two to one of the study rooms.” 

Following like told to do so, the three entered a semi-closed off cubicle area with a round table and padded chairs, with their own chalkboard on wheels for them to use. After being instructed to sit down, the student receptionist handed the two the clipboard and pen, asking them to fill out the form attached to it. “Since today is the first session, I’ll have to ask you two to fill out the student forms. I’ll make sure to let your mentor know that you are here and that he fills out his form as well. Have a good session.” She left with a wave, flipping the sign at the entrance before returning to the main desk.

“How do you think it’s going to go?” Kotone asked in a whisper, leaning over towards Makoto.

Makoto replied with a simple shrug, no words needed to respond. While they were filling out the necessary paperwork and retrieving their curse materials from their bags, the sound of rushed footsteps approached the two’s cubicle. With their attention now turned towards the opening in the partition, another student walked up to it, many binders and books in hand.

“Hello, sorry I’m a bit late. I didn’t keep you for too long, did I?” The tall boy asked.

“Not at all. We were just filling out the forms.” Kotone replied, now sitting up straighter and straightening out her uniform, Makoto adding his little head shake to agree with her.

“Oh perfect, is there one for me as well?” He asked Kotone, who handed him the clipboard with one last form attached to it. “Anyways, I’m your peer mentor, Naoya Nakano. 3rd year and recently transferred in, so please go easy on me.” He introduced himself as he sat down, rubbing the back on his neck.

Suddenly, Makoto stood up, giving Naoya a small bow. “I’ll be in your care, senpai.”

Shocked, Kotone couldn’t react to what he had just done out of the blue. However, Naoya was not fazed, only giving him a small chuckle. “I appreciate the formality, but it’s not needed. You can even drop the honorifics if you want. You can call me by any combination of Naoya or Nakano, and either -kun or -senpai. I really don’t mind.”

“Sounds good to me, I’m Kotone Shiomi, nice to meet you.”

“Makoto Yuuki, nice to meet you as well.”

“Well then, that’s introductions sorted. Let me fill this out quick, and then get started.” Naoya announced, getting his materials in order. 

After over an hour of going over some of the material from their absence, the three ended their first session, no one in a really terrible mood just by their outward emotions. While they were packing up, Naoya attempted to make small talk with his new students.

“So, I know it was only one session, but how was it?” He asked.

“I definitely learned something.” Makoto answered plainly, but honestly.

“Things are definitely more clear than before we started.” Kotone agreed.

“Well if you two got something out of it, I’m happy.” Naoya responded with a small smile, happy with being able to help his kouhais. “Anyways, your teacher has you marked until midterms, your deadline for the late work, right?” With a nod from the second years, he continued. “Well, this program works on an on-call schedule; basically, you have time after school and want some help, just tell the librarian or your homeroom teacher a day before you want to meet, and I’ll be here.”

“B-but we wouldn’t want to impose, senpai…” Kotone said, slight nervousness creeping up in her voice.

“You wouldn’t be. I did this kind of thing at my old school, so it’s like going back to my old schedule. Plus, all of my extracurriculars right now are before school, so don’t feel like you’re taking advantage of me. I want you to…" He thought for a moment, before going back on himself. "I could have worded that better…” Naoya ended in a hushed tone, regret on his face.

“If you say so, senpai.” Kotone answered with a giggle, taking the slip up in good faith. "Thank you for today."

"Thank you very much." Makoto added to their combined thanks.

“Well, if that’s it, I’ll take these forms back to the front, you two are free to use this space for a little while longer, or you can go home. Have a good night you two!” He left, clipboard and forms in hand.

“He was nice.” Makoto said to Kotone, now walking out of the cubicle.

“And he seemed like he genuinely wanted to help us.” Kotone added, following right behind.

Making casual conversation as they walked down the halls to the show lockers, hurried footsteps again reverberated through the halls behind them,with Naoya rounding the corner soon after, waving a piece of paper in his hand.

"Hey, hold on a minute!"

Turning around to see who was calling to them, Naoya caught up to the two, handing Kotone the paper in his hand. "You clipped this with your form. Didn't want you to fall behind even more on your coursework."

“Oh shoot, thanks senpai.” Kotone grabbed her worksheet with a small bow. 

While this short interaction with Kotone and Naoya was happening, Makoto stood nearby, with a curious look on his face and his gaze fixed on Naoya. After the hand off was completed, Naoya looked over, making eye contact and returned the curious gaze.

“What’s up Makoto-kun?”

“Oh sorry, senpai. I didn’t mean to stare.” Makoto apologized, but curiosity still remained on his face. “Have… we met somewhere?”

“Hmm? Maybe…” The two pondered for a moment, before Naoya had a thought of revelation. “Oh, you know what? I held the faculty office door open for you two on the first day.”

“Oh yeah, the polite tall boy. So that was you huh, senpai?” Kotone chuckled, relaxing now the awkward interaction was over. “Funny how our paths crossed again, huh?”

“Mhm. Fate can be an interesting thing. Anyways I have obligations tonight, so I’m gonna head out. Be safe getting home.” Naoya left as he put his shoes on and left the school.

“Makoto-kun, I know the situation worked out, but that was kinda awkward.” Kotone told him, now that they were alone again.

“I didn’t mean to. Just couldn’t think of a way to ask him before he noticed...” Makoto grumbled, taking his shoes out of his locker.

“I mean it was bugging me a little too… I just thought it was too soon to ask.”

“Oh well, too late to think about it now. Ready to go back to the dorm?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

* * *

May 1st 2009

“Hey Makoto-kun!” Kotone yelled out to him at the shoe lockers.

“Hmm? What’s up?”

“I’m thinking of going to Bookworms on my way home. Want to come with?”

“Eh, sure. I don’t have much besides homework.”

As the two prepared to go back to the dorms for the day, a hurrying Junpei ran past them, almost barreling Kotone over on his way out.

“Hey!” She yelled, after recomposing herself.

Following him out with two school bags, Yukari ran after him, yelling after him. “Dang it, Junpei! You forgot your stuff on your desk.”

“Hey, keep it civilised!” Mr. Ekoda shouted at the two running students.

Sharing a look between each other, Kotone and Makoto got their outdoor shoes on and trudged out of the door, slowly following the two running students. Eventually, they were stopped by an officer, who was telling off the two for running without due care for their surroundings. Once the two reached Junpei and Yukari, and their conversation was finished, the four finally were able to get together after class.

“Geez Junpei, what’s got you in a rush?” Kotone leaned over with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot.

“Well Stupei over here was asked by Akihiko-senpai about something he needed to bring to his physical today, and got all excited over it.” Yukari rolled her eyes, annoyed that she got roped into the shenanigans.

“Stupei?” Makoto asked in a hushed tone, which went unnoticed by the others.

“Well I have to go, he asked me after all.” Junpei said proudly, walking towards the hospital, now with his bag in hand.

“If it’s important, we should all go together, right?” Yukari asked, following him.

Shrugging their shoulders, both Kotone and Makoto responded, putting their trip to Bookworms on hold until later. 

As the four made it to the hospital and walked down the halls to Akihiko’s room, Yukari got a pang of deja vu, remembering when she was here last, waiting for Kotone and Makoto after the last arcana shadow battle. Noticing her unease, Kotone wrapped one arm around her shoulder, walking along with the group.

Reaching a door with Akihiko’s name, the four heard another man’s gruff voice come from the room, not sounding like a doctor’s. With Junpei opening the door, the four noticed a tall man in a maroon jacket and a grey beanie sat in the chair by the window, talking to Akihiko dressed in a hospital robe.

“What are you all doing here?” Akihiko asked.

“I got your delivery.” Junpei held out the bag he was assigned to bring.

Grabbing the bag, the man in the jacket stood up, heading towards the door, before turning to Akihiko. “Is that it, Aki?”

“Yeah, thanks.” He said back, giving a thumbs up.

“Tch… I don’t have time for this shit.” As he left the room, he briefly paused at the door, glancing at Makoto and giving him a strange look.

Wh-who was he?” Kotone asked, peeking around from behind Yukari because of the available space of the tiny hospital room.

“A friend from school… sort of.” Akihiko trailed off, before getting his thoughts back together. “You know about how the number of Apathy Syndrome cases have been going up? Well, he knows a few people, so I was asking him about it.”

With the explanation over, he reached into the paper bag, pulling out a pair of red hand grippers, squeezing them rhythmically in his hospital bed.

“Senpai, should you be using those?” Yukari asked, unsure about what he was doing.

“Eh, it’s just a physical. I’ve wasted enough time already, I have to get back to training.” He said, still squeezing away.

“Yeah! Gekkoukan’s golden boy, born to be in the ring!” Junpei exclaimed, fist in the air.

“Sometimes, I really don't get you.” Akihiko muttered, shaking his head but still working on the hand grippers.

“Hey senpai, why boxing?” Makoto asked, sitting in one of the chairs to make more room.

“You mean why did I choose it?” After getting a nod from Makoto, he continued. “Well… it’s not the sport, but learning how to actually fight is what got me into it. I know what it’s like to feel powerless… and I don’t want to feel that way again.” He sat, feet now dangling off the edge of the bed and hands just holding the grippers. “Besides, I’m curious to see how strong I can get. Pushing my limits is like playing a game, you know?”

“Huh, that’s an interesting way of looking at it.” Junpei pondered, before a smile popped on his face. “Ya know, I’m into games too…”

“Yeah, video games.” Yukari quipped almost immediately, rolling her eyes.

“Hey they’re good for hand-eye coordination!” Junpei defended, seemingly proud of his video game interests.

Before the conversation could continue, a doctor--the same one that treated Kotone and Makoto--entered the room, surprised to see all of the guests in the room. “Oh, hello everybody. I have to do some last minute checks, so could I have everybody but Sanada-kun leave for a moment, please.”

Not wanting to get in the way of the doctor, the four students walked out of the room, saying their goodbyes to Akihiko before sliding the door closed.

“After that game talk, I’ve got a hankerin’ for the arcade. Anyone wanna come with?” Junpei asked the collective.

“Sorry, me and Makoto-kun were going to Bookworms to browse. Have fun!” Kotone walked towards the elevator with Makoto in tow, waving to her classmates.

“And that makes two. What about you, Yuka-tan?”

“Umm, did you forget about that assignment due tomorrow? I’m going to go finish that.”

“Psh, I can do that later. I’m out.” Junpei finished, walking towards the stairs.

“Well don’t come running to me if you run out of time.” Yukari muttered under her breath, also turning towards the elevator to leave for the day.

* * *

May 2nd 2009

Laying in bed, asleep like any night, the students of the S.E.E.S. dorm were asleep like any normal night. With all of the business with shadows done for the day, Makoto was deep in his dream, before being rudely awoken by an outside force.

“Hi, how’ve you been?” A voice chuckled from nearby.

Startled by the sudden interruption, Makoto sat up in bed, unsure if he was awake or not, and saw the mysterious boy in striped clothing, sitting on the edge of the bed by his feet.

“You again?” Makoto spoke, slightly annoyed that he was pulled from his sleep.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Are you well?”

“Well, I was asleep. How did you get in anyways?”

“Haha, what kind of welcome is that? Besides, I’m always with you.” The boy spoke softly, before teleporting to the top of the bed by Makoto’s feet before, facing him before continuing. “One week from now, there will be a full moon… Be careful. A new ordeal awaits you…”

“Ordeal?”

“You will encounter one of THEM.”

Without any more explanation, Makoto understood: they would face another massive shadow like that fateful night last full moon.

Moving next to the bed and standing, the boy faced Makoto, slowly starting to vanish into the darkness of night. “You must prepare for the ordeal, but time is of the essence…” Before vanishing completely, the boy spoke in a mysterious but ominous voice. “I’ll come back again when it’s over. Good luck…”

“ _Man… I need to start charging him for his visits or something_ …” Makoto thought, before laying back down, trying to go back to sleep with this new information.

* * *

May 9th 2009

First thing in the morning before classes began, Naoya stood at a crosswalk just before Iwatodai station, among many other Gekkoukan students. Rifle case in hand and backpack slung on his shoulders, he walked among the several uniformed students through the turnstiles and towards the platforms. However, he would break off from the group by going to the opposite platform from the other students. Waiting among a few salarymen on his platform, he mentally prepared himself for the events of the day: his first competition representing Gekkoukan High School.

With Mr. Ichinoseki not being able to find a substitute for his morning classes, Naoya took the monorail alone to Gotanda, the location of his competition. With the monorail pulling into the platform, he stepped aboard, breathing a sigh as he saw some open standing area in the rear car, a place he found comfort in.

After about 20 minutes, he arrived at Hamamatsucho station, where he would have to change onto the infamous rush hour Yamanote Line with all of his gear for the rest of the journey. Being jostled around and given dirty looks by the commuters, he eventually reached Gotanda Station.

Walking through the turnstiles, he was able to make out a man in a suit holding a sign for the competition among the commuters coming and going. Approaching him, the two made eye contact, both understanding each other’s purpose without any words. 

“Are you a competitor? What’s your name and school?” The man asked, pulling out a clipboard from the briefcase by his feet.

“Naoya Nakano, from Gekkoukan.” He replied promptly.

Flipping through the sheets, he seemed to find the one he was looking for, pointing towards the bus loop. “There’s a reserved coach bus for the contestants. Go ahead and wait on board.”

With a nod, Naoya grabbed his luggage, walking towards where there was a large coach bus waiting in the bus loop. Handing his rifle case to the driver, he boarded the bus, noticing the other contestants already onboard. Although many didn’t pay him much attention, two in particular who sat towards the middle did, and stood up to greet him.

“Hey hey hey! Nakano-kun!” A boy in a black and purple uniform greeted him.

“Whehey! Lookin’ good man!” Another in a green and white tracksuit joined in.

“Shibuno-kun! Lucas! Mornin’.” Naoya returned, putting his backpack in the overhead luggage tray.

Tatsuhiro Shibuno and Lucas Suzuoka, both part of the same shooting club growing up. All three had gone to the same competitions since they joined, and have been close rivals and friends through their foray into the competitive scene.

“Hey Lucas, any reason why you chose the trackie? No offence, but it kinda makes you look like a wannabe slav.” Naoya joked, catching up with his friends.

“Couldn’t if I tried. Can’t do the squat.” He responded in a dead serious tone, before letting out a small chuckle.

“To be fair, I think my uniform pants would rip if I tried to. These pants are really slim.” Shibuno-kun added, laughing along.

With more competitors boarding, the bus left the station a few minutes later, driving them to the venue at the nearby university. After a short drive, the contestant bus pulled up to the doors of a gymnasium, reconfigured with the necessary equipment to convert the basketball court to an indoor 10 meter range.

Disembarking the bus and retrieving their gear, the contestants were led into a large classroom which acted as the meeting room for them. With contestants already seated in the room, as well as another bus pulling uin a few minutes behind, the room soon quickly filled up with students in a wide variety of color patterns

With the contestants assembled and the rules meeting underway, the contestants were assigned to their respective heats and range slots. Naoya, being in the third heat out of four, was sent back to his waiting room.

After about two and a half hours, the referee walked into Naoya’s waiting room, calling his heat up to the range. Donning their shooting jackets and walking with their rifle cases in hand, the eight contestants walked through the hallways into the gymnasium to compete for the top two spots, which would qualify them for the final “Super 8” shootout. 

Readying his gear at his assigned range slot, Naoya removed his rifle from his case, going through his pre-fire checks and generally taking in the competition energy again. Feeling the weight of the rifle in his hands and the jacket on his body, combined with the pressure of competition, Naoya felt right at home, regardless of him wearing the colors of Gekkoukan instead of his old school. Seeing that the competitor on the lane over was almost done, he mentally prepared himself for his turn. 

“Up on range #6, from Gekkoukan High School, third year Naoya Nakano!” The announcer spoke over the PA system, introducing him.

After the air horn sounded and the spectators quieted down, Naoya took a couple of deep breaths, and let his first round of his Gekkoukan shooting career loose.

* * *

“Qualifying from heat #3, on range #3, we have Waseda High School’s Tomohiro Yamamoto! Also from heat #3, on range #6, we have Gekkoukan High School’s Naoya Nakano!“

Having shot well enough to qualify for the “Super 8” final, Naoya lined up at the range again. By this time, the sun was already well on its way of setting, and many rounds had been fired throughout the day.

Giving him a shoulder massage over his shooting jacket, Mr. Ichinoseki stood behind his shooter, helping him get ready for the final. “I apologize for the fact that I’m not very well read about this discipline. But, I will be giving you 100% of my support from back at the coach’s area.” He spoke, trying to calm Naoya’s heartbeat down. 

“Thanks sensei. All I need to do is shoot my shots, and whatever happens, happens.”

“Your father told me you would say that.” Mr. Ichinoseki chuckled. “I have confidence in you, and I’m sure people back at Gekkoukan do too. Good luck.” He left with a clap of the shoulders.

Taking deep breaths, the contestants were commanded to line up at the range, ready to fire for their allotted time. Following the elimination format, the lowest scoring contestant after every two shots would be eliminated after the initial scoring period. Round after round, one contestant was eliminated from the final, and eventually, two remained: Yamamoto from Waseda and Naoya.

Because of the close proximity of the two schools, Waseda High School and Shinjuku High School were fierce rivals in all aspects. Although the two had no interactions, since they both competed from their first year, the teams were locked in fierce rivalries with each other. Now the ace shooter, Yamamoto wore the Waseda jacket as the representative of the prestigious school. And with Naoya the only competitor for Gekkoukan, both were considered the star athletes for their schools. With the air horn sounding the start of the final round, both fired their final scoring shots to see who would reign victorious for the evening.

After the conclusion of the final round, all of the scores were tallied up by the judges, and shortly after presented to the main referee, ready for the awards ceremony. The rest of the qualifiers in the finals knew their placements due to their eliminations, but neither Naoya nor Yamamoto knew who had won.

Walking up to the microphone, the main referee started to announce the scores from the finals, eventually reaching the final two contestants. “Ladies and gentlemen, after an intense final round, we have our final results. In second place, with a score of 202.1, and separated by a points difference of only 0.2… From Gekkoukan High School, Naoya Nakano!”

Hearing the results, Naoya immediately turned to Yamamoto-san standing next to him, holding his hand out for a shake and a bow with respect. Receiving his certificate, Naoya bowed at the judges, then the crowd, before walking off of the center stage for Yamamoto-san.

After the ceremony, both Mr. Ichinoseki and his father walked up to Naoya to congratulate his performance. “Good work Nakano-kun. It’s just barely not a win, but it’s a very good result nonetheless. You really pushed him to the last round there.” Mr. Ichinoseki clapped his shoulder, seemingly proud of his protege.

“I see the Waseda-Shinjuku rivalry lives on strong. Good job son, that’s your competition PB.” His father stated, pulling Naoya in for a quick hug.

“I think I was more nervous waiting for the results than me actually standing up there shooting…” Naoya chuckled.

While conversing with the two adults, a small group of people dressed in maroon clothing walked by, before one of them paused, calling to Naoya. “Nakano-san. Thanks for a good show. Looking forward to the next time.”

“Thank you Yamamoto-san.” Naoya replied with a bow, before the Waseda entourage left the gymnasium.

“Hey hey Nakano-kun! And Nakano-san!” Lucas and his mother walked over to the trio with his mother, with Shibuno-kun and his parents following close behind. The parents and coach conversed in their own little group, and the teens in their own, and continued to talk out of the gymnasium to their cars, before leaving for the nearby family restaurant to celebrate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of plot filler this time, but I think it was about time we showed a little bit more attention to Naoya-kun. Protag-kun/chan + Naoya, SEES + Shinji, character interactions aplenty here.
> 
> Having said that, the next chapter should lead right into the second arcana shadow fairly smoothly. Initially, it was supposed to be at the end of this chapter, but keeping it as one chapter was waaaay too long (plus it gives me a little bit of a buffer with midterms coming up).
> 
> Hopefully you are still enjoying this story so far. Your interactions and comments are very much appreciated.  
> Look forward to next week, where we have another boss battle, and plenty of plot development.  
> -LTK


	8. Midnight Train Goin' Anywhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second large shadow attack of the school year in the Iwatodai area. But this time, the lives of others outside of S.E.E.S. are at risk.

May 9th 2009

“The next train arriving at platform 1 is the 23:40 service bound for Iwatodai. This is the final train for the evening. Please stand behind the yellow line for your safety.”

After a tiring day at the range, as well as the inevitable celebration that came with the result, it had gotten very late in the evening. Mr. Ichinoseki had left the party early because he “couldn’t hang with the young ones” and his father also, due to being called in for an emergency work debrief at the police station in Shinjuku. By the time Naoya was dropped off at Gotanda Station by Lucas’s mother, it was already fairly late at night. He had contemplated taking the underground Rinkai line to Tennozu Isle and a taxi the rest of the journey, but due to an overhead wire issue, that idea was thrown out of the metaphorical window. 

Changing to the monorail again at Hamamatsucho Station, Naoya made it on a very late monorail service back to his dormitory; in fact, it was the last monorail of the evening. So, sitting among the drunks and the party-goers, Naoya sat at one of the open seats in the rear car, rifle case on the luggage rack above.

The original plan was to take a monorail back to the dorms around 10:30PM to get a proper night of rest before catching up on homework the next day. Normally, the trip would have lasted about 25 minutes, with a roughly 10 minute walk from the station. However, tonight was not the case. Sitting in one of the seats of the monorail, Naoya could very clearly feel the train sway and shake, as well as not move as fast as usual. Before long, the train stopped at a portion of protected track, and the conductor got on the PA system with an announcement.

“Ladies and gentlemen, due to high winds, we are having to suspend services until further notice. We are sorry for any inconveniences this delay may cause to your plans this evening. We will resume services once we receive the all clear signal from central command.”

“ _ Sucks that this was the last one… I don’t have any other way of getting back. Oh well, I guess I’ll listen to some music and nap until it starts moving again… _ ” Naoya thought as he grabbed his rifle case from the overhead rack and his MP3 player from his backpack. As he looked around his monorail car, he saw that he was the only person apart from the conductor in the rear cabin, and so he put one ear piece in and hugged the rifle case, before leaning up against the window frame. Dozing off to the sounds of George Gershwin, Naoya did not realize that the time was ticking closer and closer to midnight.

* * *

“How are we looking tonight?”

Mitsuru, fiddling with the radios set up on the table, turned to face Akihiko who had just walked in, several minutes into the day’s Dark Hour.

“Nothing as of yet. But you never know when the enemy might appear.”

“But I thought you couldn’t scan outside of Tartarus?” Akihiko asked, now sitting in the open seat next to her.

“To be honest, I lack the power… Maybe this is the best Penthesilea can do in terms of data gathering.” Mitsuru said sadly, now sitting back in her chair, hands now off the radio. “Although, the power of Persona seems to be much broader than I thought. We’ve got someone that proves that fact. Yuuki can switch Personas in the middle of battle after all…”

“I was surprised too. But it’s up to him whether or not he can reach his full potential, as the Chairman calls it.” Akihiko nodded.

As the conversation came to its conclusion, the radio Mitsuru set up buzzed into life, sending the waveform graph into chaos.

“It’s a shadow!” Mitsuru yelled, jumping up to fine tune the radio again.

“What?! You actually found one?!” Akihiko joined, carefully analyzing the graph.

“Wait, something’s not right. The reading is too big, even at this frequency. We’ve never encountered anything like-” Mitsuru suddenly stopped, horror now set in on her face.

Akihiko, seeing this, immediately realized what this reading was. “It’s one of those isn’t it?”

“...It must be.”

“Oh ho, this is gonna be fun! I’ll go wake up the others.” Akihiko ran out of the command room with an excited smile on his face as he went to fetch the other members of S.E.E.S.

After a few minutes, all four second years ran into the command room after Akihiko, some not entirely dressed upon entry.

“We’re here!” Kotone shouted, almost tripping on the carpet as she ran in.

“Where is this thing and when can we kick it’s ass?!” Junpei added, fist in the air, and showing about as much enthusiasm as Akihiko.

“We’ve detected a shadow outside of Tartarus. We don’t know for sure, but we think it’s another big one.” Mitsuru explained to the group. “We have to defeat any of them we find, as quickly as possible. Most people don’t know of the Dark Hour, but if half of the city is destroyed, there will be panic, similar to when this very dorm was attacked last month.”

“So, we’re going to kick its ass, right? Well, count me in!” Junpei exclaimed excitedly, now jumping in place from the excitement.

*sigh* “Junpei…” Yukari sighed, shaking her head.

“Akihiko, you stay here and wait for the Chairman. We can’t have you out there aggravating that arm again.” Mitsuru ordered, Akihiko now partially angry, but part understanding. “You four, you’re going as our ground force. I’ll be on the ground acting as your comms between you and here. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am!” Makoto shouted formally, surprising his fellow team members.

“Let’s go!” Junpei yelled, enthusiasm never wavering during the briefing.

“Alright, we move to the Iwatodai monorail station!” Mitsuru announced, instructing the ground team on where they were to stage for the mission.

* * *

Arriving at the stairs leading up to the platform at Iwatodai Station, the four second years stood, prepping their weapons and any other equipment they might need. As they stood around, the sound of a motorcycle could be heard. Moments later, the motorcycle roared into view, Mitsuru sat atop it with the radio from the command room mounted on the rear.

“Woah, lookin’ cool senpai.” Kotone told Mitsuru with a thumbs up.

“Heh” Mitsuru took the complement in good spirits, before giving her team the briefing. “Listen carefully. Tonight, I’ll be giving you support from here instead of back at the dorm. Everything else is the same. Defeat any and all shadows. This one is situated in a monorail, a little ways along the track towards Hamamatsucho heading towards Iwatodai.”

“Are we walking along the rail then?” Makoto asked.

“Wait, isn’t that dangerous?” Junpei added before Mitsuru could answer Makoto.

“No worries. Electronics don’t work during the Dark Hour. The motorcycle is special, and the radio is powered off of my Persona.” 

‘Wooow…” Kotone stood, mouth open in amazement.

“Anyways, we don’t have all night. Good luck.”

With a nod, the second years made their way to the station. Hopping the turnstiles, the team walked up the non-moving escalators and to the empty platforms. Peering off the edge of the platform down the tracks, everyone hesitated to move to the designated area.

“S-so we walk along here?” Yukari asked nervously.

‘Yep.” Makoto simply replied, hopping onto the tracks. “”At least it’s not windy…” He muttered just within earshot of everyone else as he walked along towards where the monorail was stopped.

“Man, sometimes I don’t know if he’s brave or just careless…” Makoto questioned before hopping on the rails.

Eventually, all four were walking along the rails over the sea, blanketed by the bright green full moon of the Dark Hour. After about 10 minutes of walking, the team reached the monorail in question.

“So just go in and kill shadows, right?” Kotone asked, looking at the train in front of her.

“Should be it. We just have to get in, kill the big one, and go home.” Makoto summarized. 

“So, how do we get in then? None of the doors are open.” Yukari asked, now walking up towards the closest passenger door.

“Well, electronics don’t work, so those doors are out of the question. What about these?” Kotone asked, pointing towards the cab doors.

“Those just might work.” Makoto tried the handle. Seeing it was unlocked, he swung the door open and climbed in first. “Come on Junpei, I’ll help you up.”

“I mean, thanks, but I didn’t need it…” Junpei muttered.

“I’m aware.”

“But then why-”

Because they’re in school uniforms, which means skirts.” Makoto interrupted, before lending a hand to the two females of the group.

“Thanks Makoto-kun.” Yukari thanked, before fully climbing up last into the already cramped cab. “Man, with the conductor’s coffin, it is really cramped in here.”

“Alright, are we ready?” Makoto asked the group. After a nod from everyone, he slowly opened the door, leading to the passenger cabin. Seeing there were no shadows or coffins, the team slowly filed in. Weapons at the ready, they slowly advanced down the train towards the vestibule connecting the next carriage. As they approached the first group of seats, Kotone suddenly gasped and jumped back with weapon in hand, spooked by something she had seen.

“H-huh, what’s up Kotone?” Yukari asked, tone slightly shaking.

Without any words, she pointed towards the seat. Instead of it being open or occupied with a coffin, there lay Naoya Nakano, asleep and undisturbed and in the flesh, leaned up against the side wall of the longitudinal seats, feet up and headphones in, hugging his rifle case.

“Wait, Naoya-senpai?!” Yukari yelled.

“What is he doing here?!” Kotone added to the yelling.

“Doesn’t that mean he’s got the potential or whatever the suit guy says?” Junpei asked, head cocked to the side in curiosity.

Instead of adding to the yelling and questioning, Makoto got on the comms to Mitsuru back at Iwatodai Station. “Senpai, we’ve got a problem. There’s a non-transmogrified person in here.”

“What? Who are they? Are they asleep?”

“It’s Naoya Nakano. He’s asleep against a row of seats in the rear carriage.”

“Nakano?!” Even Mitsuru added to the yelling that everyone was seemingly doing. “Regardless, try and wake him up, and send him back to me if you can.”

With a nod, Kotone slowly creeped over to the sleeping Naoya, scared that he might jump out at her or something along those lines. Tapping on his shoulder, she spoke softly, trying to wake him up slowly. “Heeyy… Heeeeeey Nakano-senpaaaaai…”

After a few nudges, Naoya slowly awoke from his slumber. Blinking awake and trying to reorient himself. He sat up, looking around and seeing four armed students in front of him. “What? Kotone-chan, Makoto-kun, Yukari-chan, and you…” He named off every person down the line, unable to identify Junpei. “Wait, why are you all armed? And were you always on this monorail? And WHY IS IT GREEN OUTSIDE?!” He slowly started to really take in his surroundings.

“Hey, nakano-senpai. Calm down. We’ll explain later. For now, let’s get you ou-” Yukari tried to talk down her fellow club member, before being interrupted by a hiss the monorail.

“Wh-what was that?!” Yukari yelled, scared by the sudden sound.

“P-probably the compressor of the train itself. But that means the air on the train is charging.” Naoya explained, still slightly shocked by what was going on.

Before the group could do anything else, a fairly large shadow emerged from the vestibule of the next carriage, throwing ice attacks haphazardly into the carriage, before scattering down the train.

“Wait. Something's not right. That shadow is acting erratically.” Mitsuru gave her analysis over the comms.

“Why wait? We’re gonna lose it if we don’t go after it. Hell, I’m gonna go take it down myself if we’re hesitating any more!” Junpei gave his honest opinions on the situation, before running off after it.

“Junpei! Wait!” Yukari and Kotone yelled after Junpei, who had already left the carriage everyone else was still in.

While their attention was turned towards the vestibule, a groaning sound came from the rear cab door the team entered from. Turning around, the team saw one of the smaller shadows creep out from under the cab door and towards the team, eyes locked on Naoya.

“Shadow! Protect him at all costs!” Makoto ordered the remaining team members, readying his sword.

“Come on, senpai. With me!” Yukari yelled, grabbing Naoya by the wrist from his seated position.

“Wha-what’s going on? Yukari?” He returned, a slight scared tone in his voice.

“We’ll explain later. Right now, you just need to stay safe.” Yukari reassured him, to the backdrop of Kotone and Makoto slashing and stabbing the last remnants of the lone shadow.

“Status report!” Mitsuru ordered, now that the initial chaos had died down.

“Rear shadow has been taken care of. Party is separated, and the rear group now has a plus one, unarmed.” Makoto responded.

“Unarmed? Would me having a weapon be any help?” Naoya asked, peeking over from behind the far end of the seating he was hiding behind.

“Let me ask for you.” Makoto told him, getting on the comms while he stood up towards his gear that was laying on the seats where he was previously.

After a few moments, Makoto explained what Mitsuru had told him. “We don’t know if it will do anything to the shadows, but it won’t hurt to have.”

A nod later, Naoya immediately unlocked the rifle case, and assembled his trusted competition air rifle, to the shock of the two team members that hadn’t seen the rifle before.

“This’ll do for now, right?” Naoya asked the rest, putting a box of competition pellets in his back pocket.

After an uncertain nod was shared between everyone, Makoto turned to everyone, relaying orders he received from Mitsuru while Naoya was preparing. “New plan. We move up the train until we either find Junpei, or come across the large shadow. Nakano-senpai’s safety is priority #1. Senpai, we’ll have you stay behind us if that’s alright.”

“No objections here..” Naoya responded with a nod, fiddling with the pressure gauge on his rifle.

With the new instructions given to the rest of the team, they slowly moved through the car and the vestibule to the next, weapons drawn and ready to attack any and all shadows they might come across.

“That Stupei, this is just what the enemy wanted…” Yukari grumbled next to Naoya towards the back of the advancing group.

“Does this happen a lot, then?” Naoya asked, slightly spooking Yukari next to him who was unaware of anyone listening to her grumbling.

“I mean, they do argue like a married couple sometimes.” Kotone giggled from the front.

“W-we do not!” Yukari refuted, a slight blush creeping up on her face.

“From what I can tell, he should be towards the front of the train.” Mitsuru reported her findings to the group who could hear her.

“Sounds good, Mitsuru-senpai. We’ll work our way up to him-” Makoto responded, before being interrupted by movement ahead of him.

Two more shadows crept into the carriage the team were in from the vestibule in front, making their deep moaning sounds as they entered. Jumping to battle mode, the members of S.E.E.S. lined up in front of Naoya and engaged the two shadows. 

From the back of the group, all Naoya could really make out was that there were masked blobs that attacked people, and that it attacked by lunging at their target, or casting some form of what could be elemental magic. As for the humans, they primarily attacked using historical weapons, or so he thought.

When Kotone pulled out the ornate pistol from her leg holster and pointed it at her head, all Naoya felt was panic: panic at what he thought Kotone was about to do, and at the normalcy that everyone else was exhibiting. After she pulled the trigger, and the sound of glass breaking reverberated through the carriage, the mechanical humanoid figure of Orpheus appeared right behind her, attacking one of the blobs with a fireball.

Among all of the fighting and elemental magic going around, the three engaged in combat failed to recognize a third enemy, which appeared out of one of the overhead air conditioning units. Sticking to the ceiling of the train, it readied an elemental attack on the three already engaged in battle. However, it failed to recognize the fourth in the group, who was hiding behind yet another row of seats. 

Seeing that the rest hadn’t yet noticed, Naoya took a deep breath, and aimed at the mask of the shadow. With a sharp crack of air from the tip of his barrel, a bullet flew towards its intended target, striking it just above the left eye socket. On impact, the shadow flinched, falling to the floor with a screech in front of the three in combat. Making quick work of the now three shadows, the team eased up, attention now towards Naoya, who was standing behind cover, rifle aimed down towards the next vestibule.

“Nice shot, senpai.” Kotone praised, giving Naoya a thumbs-up.

“Now that’s sorted, keep going. You are approaching Iori.” Mitsuru updated.

With another shared nod among all four members, they continued forward through the vestibules and carriages, until they reached a surrounded Junpei in the middle of the next carriage.

“There he is! Shoot, he’s surrounded!” Yukari yelled.

“We’ve got to help him!” Kotone added.

Without aunty words, Makoto rushed ahead, slashing the closest shadow with his sword. Following suit, both Yukari and Kotone summoned their Personas, each attacking another one of the shadows surrounding Junpei. With Junpei working on the last of the shadows that was surrounding him, all four were dealt with after a few moments of intense battling.

“And this is what happens when you run ahead on your own.” Yukari reprimanded Junpei, who was now looking slightly ticked off.

“Are you alright?” Kotone took the more calm, friendly, and gentle approach with him.

“O-of course I am… I was doin’ fine…” Junpei grumbled, sounding annoyed with the interruption.

“Ex-cuse me?!” Yukari yelled, now very annoyed.

“Enough you two!” Mitsuru shouted at the two arguing second-years, before going back to the mission. “I don’t detect any more shadow movement nearby, but stay alert!”

As soon as she finished her message, the monorail made a long drawn-out hissing sound, then very slowly started to crawl in the original direction it was going before the Dark Hour.

“Erm, is this supposed to happen?” Kotone asked shakily.

“Whoa! Why’re we movin’?!” Junpei joined, yelling again.

“It seems like the monorail is under the shadow’s control…” Mitsuru analyzed from back at Iwatodai Station. “If it continues to accelerate in its current direction, it will crash into the next train.”

“WHAT?!” Everyone yelled, as the monorail slowly built up speed on the rails, motors humming in the carriages.

“Calm down and listen!” Mitsuru shouted, getting everyone’s attention back on the task. “I sense a strong presence in the front car. That must be the one we’re after. You need to defeat it to stop it before it crashes!”

“What kind of nightmare am I in?!” Naoya groaned, right as two more shadows dropped on both sides of the group.

“We gotta move!” Makoto ordered, taking the front shadow on with Junpei.

“Right! Let’s go!” Kotone added, pairing with Yukari, forming a full barrier between Naoya and the shadows. 

Pushing as hard as they could to make up any time they might have lost in battle, the four engaged with shadows battled while moving further towards the front of the train, dragging the battle with them. Two more defeated small shadows, the team finally arrived at the vestibule leading to the front carriage.

“Is it getting colder?” Junpei observed, taking point by the door on the other side of Makoto.

“Get ready for anything. Ready?” Makoto looked to his team. After a nod of approval from everyone, Makoto slid open the door and the entire team stormed the last car.

Running in, the team was met by a large black and white female-looking masked humanoid creature. With ribbon-like hair in a reversed black and white color pattern running along the walls of the carriage, as well as the letters B and J sitting where nipples would be on its breasts, the shadow sat with legs akimbo, in a sexualized manner staring at the intruders. 

Before anyone could make any move on it, the shadow threw multiple ice attacks at the group, scattering them behind multiple pieces of cover available. Without letting up the onslaught of ice attacks towards the other end of the carriage, the train slowly started frosting over, with the metal parts of the train growing ice on its surfaces. 

“What the hell is this thing?!” Junpei yelled over the sounds of ice breaking around him.

“This has to be it! We just need to kill it!” Makoto yelled out towards everyone else, ducking immediately before an ice attack broker where his head was just a second before. 

“You don’t have much time. At this rate, the monorail will crash into the next one in five minutes!” Mitsuru reported, informing the team of the time pressure now applying to the situation.

“Understood. We need to get its attention off of the group. Spread out as best as you can!.” Makoro ordered, sliding to behind the next set of seats, pulling the shadow’s attention.

“Kotone-chan, let’s move! Naoya-senpai, stay back here.” Yukari shouted, jumping over another ice attack that shattered at her feet.

Crouched behind the seat back of the seats, Naoya sat nervously, sweat slowly building on his face and knuckles growing white from how hard he was gripping his rifle. “ _ What is happening? How did I end up here? Am I going to die? _ ” Naoya kept repeating these thoughts in his head while the capable fighters fought the large being.

“How are we going to get close enough to attack this thing?!” Kotone yelled to Makoto, who was taking cover ahead of her.

Thinking hard with his hands rubbing his temples. “I can take some of the brunt of the ice attacks and maybe give you all a window to attack it, but that’s my limit right now.” Makoto explained towards Yukari and Kotone.

“Psh, you just gotta go and give it a good whack!” Junpei scoffed, running out of cover and towards the being. Before much progress, he was hit directly with an ice attack at his feet, tripping him up and making him face plant onto the cold icy floor.

“Junpei!” Kotone yelled from behind cover, pulling the attention of the shadow towards where she and Yukari were hiding.

“Get ready to grab Junpei!” Makoto crouched, hand on his evoker and ready to run out into the shadow’s view. After a signal from Yukari, he ran out to the middle of the train car with his evoker already pointed towards his temple. “Persona change! Jack Frost!”

With the cuddly snowman-like plushie appearing in front of him, the large shadow immediately turned its attention to Makoto and his Jack Frost, shooting a large beam of ice towards them. Seeing this, both Yukari and Kotone jumped to action, summoning their Personas Io and Orpheus respectively, and attacked the shadow with as many attacks as they could muster, with Junpei eventually joining in with his persona Hermes.

After a few attacks of varying types connected with the shadow, Makoto started to waver, feeling the brunt of the attacks. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up!” He told his teammates, teeth clenched and tone strained.

Before the team could move safely back to cover, the shadow detached a group of its belt-like appendages from the walls of the train, and attacked at any and everything that moved in front of it. Its first target, a lunging Hermes. 

Snapping multiple bands at the flying herald of the gods, Junpei went down to a knee with a loud grunt, clearly in pain. With Makoto almost drained from absorbing an almost constant barrage of attacks, the team were reduced to half their initial capacity. Slowly getting behind cover to regroup, it was clear that this battle was not going in the team’s favor, nor did they have a lot of time before the inevitable collision waiting for them if the train was not back under control.

With just the female team members at full combat power, the two jumped to perform whatever they could do to salvage the battle at hand. Yukari, being able to heal using her Persona, immediately worked on getting whoever was out of the battle to safety, while Kotone tried her best to keep the pressure up on the shadow.

While the onslaught continued, Naoya still remained in the rear of the carriage, far away from the main battle. But hearing the pain and the beating that the team was going through, he peeked over his cover, seeing that Kotone was battling on her own. Trying to help even a little with whatever he could do, he placed his rifle against the top of the seat he was hiding behind, and sent multiple rounds towards the shadow. Upon impact, Naoya noticed that his bullets were not doing any damage whatsoever, but just angering it further, so far that the shadow turned towards Naoya, sending the largest ice attack towards him, impacting the seat he was hiding behind with a loud crash of ice shattering.

Seeing that the impact had ripped apart the seat, and with no trace of Naoya where he was previously, Kotone screamed in panic, fearing that her senpai had been injured or killed. Of course, this scream didn’t go unnoticed by anything, with both Yukari and Makoto looking over at the impact, and the shadow turning towards Kotone.

“Kotone! Move-” Yukari tried to warn her teammate, but it was too late. The shadow had already started swinging its belt-like tendrils towards her, striking her in the midriff and sent her skidding along the floor, knocking the wind out of her. Gasping for any air she could get, she suddenly felt a hand grab her leg. Panicking, thinning it was the shadow, she attempted to kick whatever was trying to drag her away.

Suddenly, the arn grasped even harder, jerking her behind what remained from the earlier impact. Looking around in confusion, the first thing she noticed was a very battered Naoya, grasping his rifle in his hands, wincing in obvious pain. Before she could reach out or talk with him, Naoya peeked over, trying to do his best and shoot the shadow.

Now healed up enough to assess the situation, Makoto reported back to Mitsuru, asking for any update she might have. “Senpai! We’re pinned down, and almost entirely out of commission! How much longer do we have?!”

“A couple of minutes tops. You need to hurry!” Mitsuru replied, nervousness in her voice.

Slowly running out of patience, as well as bullets, Naoya kept firing his rifle, hoping that he would hit some pressure point that would paralyze the shadow. To try and stop the annoyance, the shadow fired yet another ice attack towards Naoya. Seeing this, Kotone grabbed his shoulder, dragging him behind cover. 

Unfortunately, his rifle was hit, and the attack froze the air canister, as well as the barrel, making it useless. “Shit.” He muttered under his breath, frustrated at the entire situation, until he saw the other casualty in the hit. Kotone sat next to him, clearly in pain, clutching the hand that had grabbed him down, having been hit with the attack. 

Out of options, Naoya was getting more and more desperate. With Makoto back in action, and Yukari tending to Junpei, the battle raged on. Not knowing how much time they had until they would hit the next monorail, Naoya looked around, trying to find something to turn the tide. Looking towards the aisle of the carriage, his eye snapped onto the glint of a silver pistol laying in the middle.

After taking a few deep breaths to try and calm down his heart rate, Naoya lunged for the evoker, grabbing it before skidding behind the seat across the aisle. Having seen the others use this ornate pistol against their heads to summon these ethereal figures that attacked the shadow, he held it in his hands like some delicate instrument. Still unsure of what everyone else was doing with it, Naoya started to hyperventilate, thinking that one misstep would end his life immediately. 

Before he could ponder any longer, some errant ice shards shattered above the seat, giving Naoya multiple lacerations on his face. Now convinced that this was the do or die moment, he grasped the evoker in both hands, and pointed it at the middle of his forehead. Standing up with a blood-curdling scream, he pulled the trigger.

With the sound of glass breaking reverberating through the carriage, everyone looked over to the blue fog swirling around a bloodied and bruised Naoya. A moment later, an androgynous human-like figure in a black and white toga appeared floating by Naoya’s head. Equipped with a bow and a headpiece with multiple layers of lenses in front of its eyes, it zipped around avoiding everything that the shadow threw at it, speaking in a low female-like voice while it took its final form.

“Thou art I, and I am thou. From the Sea of Souls I heed your call. I am Oupis, and with my aim, we will strike our target…” 

Finding an opening, the Persona drew back his bow without any arrows, and let go the bowstring. Instead of anything impacting the shadow itself, the large shadow started to float above the floor, throwing it off balance and stopping its constant attacks.

“NOW!” Naoya screamed at everyone else, getting their attention. Without any hesitation, the team lunged forward at the shadow with everything they had. With a combination of weapons and Personas attacking the shadow, it eventually slumped in the air with a screech, still being affected by Naoya’s Persona, before finally being finished off by a slash of Junpei’s sword.

With the shadow dissipating into nothingness, the team looked around hesitantly, not sure if the situation was under control. This silence lasted for all of a split second, before Mitsuru screamed into everyone’s ears, Naoya now included. “30 seconds! You need to stop the train now!”

Wincing from the sudden voice in his head, Naoya tried to shake out any ringing in his ears from Mitsuru’s sudden outburst. Immediately, everyone attempted to try and find the emergency brake handle in the carriage in a hurry. “Found it!” Yukari called out, before yelling immediately after. “The cover’s frozen!”

“What do we do?!” Kotone asked in a panic, freezing in place.

Immediately knowing the only alternative, Naoya ran towards the door to the front cab, kicking open the door in the process. Turning towards the driver’s panel on the left, he immediately grasped the master controller handle, and pushed it from full power to full braking mode. With the sudden brake application, everyone was sent flying towards the closest slid object by them.

Grasping onto the overhead handles, Makoto slowly pulled his way into the cab, seeing the next monorail rapidly approaching. With both Naoya still gripping the handle fully in the brakes, both he and Makoto stared down what seemed like their inevitable demise. However, the monorail started to rapidly slow down with an ear-piercing screech ringing through the train. Eyes widening and breaths held, the monorail eventually lurched to a halt, less than a meter separating the two trains.

As soon as the monorail stopped, the rest of the team members ran into the now cramped cab, looking out of the front windshield, and saw just how close they were to crashing. With everyone sharing a deep sigh, the mood was now significantly more relaxed. Now that the monorail was stopped, everyone slowly walked out of the cab, battered and exhausted after their encounter.

“Hey Kotone,” Naoya called out from the back of the group, evoker in hand. “I think this is yours.”

“T-thanks senpai.” She grabbed it from his hand, returning the evoker to her leg holster.

“Hey, can we go back to where I was? I need to grab my gear.” Naoya asked the group, retrieving his damaged rifle from where he once took shelter.

“Sure. But, we move as a group, no ifs, ands, or buts. We don’t know if there are any more shadows hiding somewhere.” Makoto spoke, slowly moving down the train.

Curious, Yukari spoke up from the middle of the group towards Naoya. “Say, senpai. How did you know how to stop the train?”

“Honestly, I like trains. Have since I was a small kid.” He tried to answer with a shrug, but instead flinched from a sudden pain in his shoulder.

“Status report.” Mitsuru asked her team, unsure about if they had managed to get their situation under control.

“Shadow defeated, monorail stopped, no casualties.” Makoto reported back to her, still slightly out of breath.

“And what was the massive energy reading by everyone?”

“That would be Naoya-senpai. He awakened to his Persona.” Kotone added, letting Makoto recover his breath slightly.

“What?! He awakened?” She returned, not believing what she had just heard.

Now being able to hear her in his head, Naoya jumped into the conversation, trying to be as snarky as possible to ease any tension in the air. “Heh. Hiya Mitsuru-san. You know, if you could talk to me, I would have liked to hear your voice sooner.”

“B-but, how are you still awake, let along walking about?”

“If I had to take an educated guess, about 99% adrenaline and 1% my result from the meet earlier today.” Naoya answered as truthfully as he could.

Now reaching his backpack and the opened rifle case, Naoya knelt down on the floor to put away. As soon as he placed it back in its padded cut-out slot, he really felt how drained the battle left him. Trying to stand up, all he could do was push himself up using the seat in front of him, and still he wavered in his feet, vision blurring more and more by the minute.

Seeing this, Kotone and Yukari ran over, putting both of their bodies under Naoya’s arm to keep him upright. Examining the damage, Yukari, who was under his right arm, felt her shoulder grow more and more damp the longer she kept him upright. Looking over to Kotone, wordlessly telling her to put him down in a seat, the two carefully placed Naoya in one of the nearby seats.

Upon closer inspection, everyone saw the true extent of his injuries. Apart from the bruising and minor lacerations that everyone had, Naoya had a massive open wound on his right shoulder that was leaking blood, as well as a cut on his forehead that was also leaking blood.

“Hey senpai, how’re you feeling?” Yukari asked hesitantly.

Now slightly woozy from the adrenaline almost entirely wearing off, Naoya answered in a lethargic voice, struggling to form a connected full sentence. “You know… Everything’s kinda… loopy…?” Before he could say any more, he slowly slumped over, exhaustion finally finishing him off.

“Hey senpai, we’re gonna need some help. Nakano-senpai is out cold, with injuries, and he’s kind of too tall for us to carry him out. He also has a bit of luggage that needs to come off with him.” Makoto asked Mitsuru, hoping he wouldn't have to literally drag all 6 foot 1 inch of Naoya out of a train.

“Understood. Akihiko, can you be ready to rendezvous at Iwatodai Station to bring a plus one to the hospital?”

“Sure thing. Give me a few minutes to run over.” Akihiko spoke, his voice garbled with static.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAIN CHARACTER AWAKENING!!!  
> This whole scene was both fun and frustrating to write. Because it is plot-wise the first full arcana shadow battle in the game, it was bound to be detailed. Add another character to the scene and oh my god, I might have gone overboard. But, Naoya has a Persona now, so that's fun.
> 
> ("Let me explain" in Sojiro's voice)  
> Naoya's Persona: Oupis  
> From Greek mythology, Oupis is one of the Nymphai Hyperboreiai, nymphs from the mythical, far north realm of Hyperborea. The three nymphs Hekaerge, Loxo, and Oupis preside over the distancing, trajectory, and aim portions of archery. Oupis, along with Arge (another maiden of Hyperborea) carried an offering, which had been vowed for the birth of Apollo and Artemis.
> 
> Attacks: Gravity-type attacks (originally from Persona 1/Megami Ibunroku Persona) & Pierce attacks.  
> Moveset (although it may not play a major role in the writing of future chapters):  
> -Gry (light gravity attack to 1 foe)  
> -Sukukaja (increase 1 ally's hit/evasion rate)  
> -Single Shot (light pierce damage to 1 foe)
> 
> My reasoning, because of Naoya and his connection to accuracy shooting, I wanted his initial persona to be something related to archery or some form of marksmanship. Following the trend of Greek mythological creatures and beings for the character's personas, the Nymphai Hyperboreiai fir the bill perfectly.  
> In terms of attacks and "moveset", avoiding elemtal overlap was one thing I wanted to avoid. I thought of using nuclear like Makoto Niijima from P5, but if I ever made it to that plotline, overlap would happen again. So I decided to pull an elemental type from past games (technically gravity attacks are a type of "force" attack like electricity, nuclear, gravity, and blast moves in Megami Ibunroku Persona). 
> 
> Other plot points, the locations, train lines, and station names used in the beginning (Hamamatsucho, Tennozu-Isle, Gotanda, Rinkai Line) are all real. Essentially, Iwatodai is treated as a part of Odaiba. Having lived in suburban Tokyo for part of my life, my use of locations may have unnecessary details especially when it comes to the trains, because... well... I like trains.
> 
> *phew* That should be all of the explanations done for this chapter.  
> In the next two weeks, I have multiple midterms, so writing this will unfortunately be lower priority until they are over, although spring break is coming up... although that also means that COVID-19 lockdown has been in effect for over a full year where I currently live.
> 
> As usual, your interaction, feedback, constructive criticism, and anything else is greatly appreciated. Honestly, I am surprised this story has been and is still going, as well as all of you for reading.  
> See you next time for the next chapter!  
> -LTK


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